Lably
Skip to content

Etruscan religion

  • 14 min read
  • 4 chapters

Related on Lably

Through Religion

Lab · Class 6–7Vedic Age

History

The earliest evidence for Etruscan religious practices dates to the Villanovan period. The archaeological record preserves data from sites that grow into fully-developed sanctuaries, such as Tarquinia's 9th century BCE Pian d'Civita shrine or Veii's Piazza d'Armi. Numerous cemeteries showcase funeral practices from this period, such as cremation burial in urns and accompanying grave goods. By the 6th century BCE, Etruscan sanctuaries became increasingly monumental, with major temples, expensive offerings, and evidence for animal sacrifice and other rituals.

Greek influence

During the Archaic period, Greek settlers and traders interacted with local Italic communities along the Central Mediterranean coasts. In addition to influencing some artistic traditions in these communities, Greeks brought their mythological narratives as well. It is unclear how much religious figures such as Hercle (Heracles) or Menvra (Minerva) derived from Greeks, and to what degree they already existed among some Italian communities. It is likely that some heroes from the Homeric tradition, such as Odysseus, Menelaus and Diomedes, were recast in tales of the distant past that had them roaming the lands West of Greece. In Greek tradition, Heracles (Etruscan Hercle) wandered these western areas, doing away with monsters and brigands, and bringing civilization to the inhabitants. Legends of his prowess with women became the source of tales about his many offspring conceived with prominent local women, though his role as a wanderer meant that Heracles moved on after securing the locations chosen to be settled by his followers, rather than fulfilling a typical founder role. It is possible that Odysseus also assumed a similar role for the Etruscans as the heroic leader who led the Etruscans to settle the lands they inhabited, though this cannot be proven at this time.

Greek claims that the sons of Odysseus had once ruled over the Etruscan people date to at least the mid-6th century BC. Lycophron and Theopompus link Odysseus to Cortona (where he was called Nanos). In Italy during this era it could give non-Greek ethnic groups an advantage over rival ethnic groups to link their origins to a Greek hero figure. These legendary heroic figures became instrumental in establishing the legitimacy of Greek claims to the newly settled lands, depicting the Greek presence there as reaching back into antiquity.

Roman conquest

After the Etruscan defeat in the Roman–Etruscan Wars (264 BCE), the remaining Etruscan culture began to be assimilated into the Roman. The Roman Senate adopted key elements of the Etruscan religion, which were perpetuated by haruspices and noble Roman families who claimed Etruscan descent, long after the general population of Etruria had forgotten the language. In the last years of the Roman Republic the religion began to fall out of favor and was satirized by such notable public figures as Marcus Tullius Cicero. The Julio-Claudians, especially Claudius, whose first wife, Plautia Urgulanilla, claimed an Etruscan descent, maintained a knowledge of the language and religion for a short time longer, but this practice soon ceased.

Sign in to keep reading

3 more chapters are free with a Lably account.

More in Ancient history

Ancient RomeRoman civilisation from the 8th century BC to the 5th century ADAncient GreeceGreek civilization from 1200 BC to 600 ADAncient EgyptCradle of civilization in North AfricaBronze AgeHistorical period (c. 3300–1200 BCE)MesopotamiaHistorical region of West AsiaAchaemenid EmpireAncient Iranian empire, 550–330 BC