5848 Estrucan history

[COLOR=black]The pre-Etruscan history of the area in the late Bronze and Iron ages parallels that of the early Greeks. The Tuscan area was inhabited by peoples of the so-called Apennine culture in the late second millennium BC (roughly 1350–1150 BC) who had trading relationships with the Minoan and Mycenaean civilisations in the Aegean Sea. Following this the Villanovan culture (1100–700 BC) came about which saw Tuscany, and the rest of Etruria, taken over by chiefdoms (as was also the case at this time in France and the Aegean after the collapse of Mycenae and Troy). City states developed in the late Villanovan (again paralleling Greece and the Aegean) before "Orientalization" occurred and the Etruscan civilisation rose.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=black]The Etruscans were the first major civilisation in this region of Italy; large enough to lay down a transport infrastructure, implement agriculture and mining, and produce vivid art.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=black]The people who formed the civilisation lived in the area (called Etruria) well into prehistory. The civilisation grew to fill the area between the rivers Arno and Tiber from the eighth century BC, reaching their peak during the seventh and sixth centuries BC, and finally ceded all power and territory to the Romans by the first century BC. Throughout their existence, they lost territory to the surrounding civilisations of Greece, Carthage and Gaul.[/COLOR]
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[COLOR=black]Despite being described as distinct in its manners and customs by contemporary Greeks, the cultures of Greece, and later Rome, influenced the civilisation to a great extent and this increasing lack of cultural distinction, including the adoption of the Etruscan upper class by the Romans, was one of the reasons for its eventual demise.[/COLOR]

The cities that composed the Etruscan [I]Dodecapoli[/I] or league of "twelve cities" has no completely authoritative roster. Those Etruscan cities most often included (with their more familiar Latin and Italian equivalents) are:
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[*][COLOR=black]Arretium (modern Arezzo) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Caisra, Cisra (Caere or modern Cerveteri, and its [I]frazione[/I] Ceri) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Clevsin, (Clusium or modern Chiusi) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Curtun (modern Cortona) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Perusna (Perugia) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Pupluna, Fufluna (Populonia) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Veia (Veii or modern Veio) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Tarch(u)na (Tarquinii or modern Tarquinia-Corneto) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Vetluna, Vetluna (Vetulonia) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Felathri (Volaterrae or modern Volterra) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Velzna (Volsinii, presumed modern Orvieto) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Velch, Velc(a)l (Vulci or modern Volci). [/COLOR][/LIST][COLOR=black]Other Etruscan cities, not members of the [I]Dodecapoli[/I]:[/COLOR]
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[*][COLOR=black]Vi(p)sul (Faesulae or modern Fiesole) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Adria [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Spina [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Felsina (Bononia, modern Bologna) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Mutna (Mutina, modern Modena) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Parma [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Rusellae, near modern Roselle Terme [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Alalia in Corsica (Roman and modern Aleria) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Capeva (Capua) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Manthva (Mantua) [/COLOR]
[*][COLOR=black]Inarime(?) (Pitecusa(Greek Pithekoussai) or modern Ischia)[/COLOR][/LIST]