Vittoriano
CYCLE: Frontiers of archaeology: comparing experiences
SPEAKER: Giuseppe Sassatelli
DATE: Tuesday, October 27, 6:00 PM
LOCATION: Bibliotheca Maior - Sala della Crociera
In the popular imagination, the Etruscans are those of Cerveteri, Tarquinia, and Populonia—those who inhabited Etruria proper, the Augustan Region VIII (Etruria), considered their homeland. In reality, the Etruscans were also well established with permanent settlements in the Po Valley (Padan Etruria) and Campania (Campanian Etruria), two other "Etrurias" often somewhat simplistically regarded as areas of secondary colonization. Recent discoveries and ongoing research show that these two regions were deeply connected to the historical and social developments of Etruria proper, as well as to its artistic and cultural expressions. Furthermore, they were closely intertwined with neighboring populations, such as the Veneti and Celts to the north, and the Greek colonists and Italic peoples to the south. Bologna (ancient Felsina), Marzabotto (ancient Kainua), Spina, and Mantua in the Po Valley, alongside Capua, Pontecagnano, Fratte, and Pompeii in the south, are increasingly proving to be fully fledged Etruscan cities. Their standard of living, culture, political organization, and institutional structures were completely aligned with those of Etruria proper. These were the "Frontier Etruscans," spread across a vast territory stretching from the Po to the Sele River—a domain that ancient Greek and Roman historical traditions already recognized as equal to the core territory, noting that "almost all of Italy was under Etruscan rule." The latest findings and recent scholarship reveal these frontier populations' profound ties to Etruria proper, enabling us to write a new, more comprehensive history of this key civilization of ancient Italy.
