Re: Origins of the Etruscans

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Board: Etruria
Topic: Origins of the Etruscans 
Topic Editor: Nesnut Hatshepsut
Topic Description: The origin of the Etruscans...

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Message: Re: Origins of the Etruscans
Author: Lauchum - Camitlnas Tullius, Patron 
Date: Jun 28, 2000 10:01
      I feel very guilty at the moment for  guiding Velthur to a web based 
      translation engine without explaining  its  limitations. I find them very 
      useful for  giving rough translations that can be reworked into good 
      English, but they can produce some rather colourful translations. 

      Here is my translation of Velthur's post (if there  is someone out there 
      who speaks good Italian and English, please come forward): 

      ============================================================================= 

      Contribution for "The Origins of the Etruscans" - Velthur Valerius 
      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

      Nowadays we know that the official "Etruscanologist" theory 
      has been that  of Pallottino, which sees in the Etruscan people, 
      a technical and cultural evolution of the ancient Italic peoples.  

      However, I wish to put forward a personal critical appraisal of the 
      theory without attempting to provide an alternative rationale. 

      In  540 BCE in the battle of the Sardinian sea, the Phocaean (Greek) 
      fleet fought against against the Punic-Etruscan Alliance. At that time 
      the technological level of the three navies is identical.  The ships 
      used are the "penteconter" longships (ships with a single layer of oars) 

      In 414 BCE during the Athenian siege  of Syracuse in Magna Graeca 
      (Peloponnesian war), three Etruscan penteconters were despatched by the 
      Etruscan Praetor Velthur Spurinna to fight side by side with Athens 
      and its allies against Syracuse, albeit to no avail by the Etruscans. 

      During a period  of 130 years the Etruscans  had  made no progress 
      in the technological arena, although by that time, the Greek and Punic 
      fleets  were equipped with Triremes (Ships with 3 rows of oars).  
      Why was this?  

      It was certainly not for lack of funds.  Etruria in fact was still a free 
      territory at that time, and  did not yet have to face the costs of 
      war with Rome.  These are the known facts and now we come to our 
      reasoning:  

      The Etruscans left Asia Minor with all the their technological 
      knowledge and settled in the central west of the Italian peninsula 
      losing contact with the East and remaining outside the main influences 
      of technological innovation. 

      If we accept the theory of  Pallottino it is still difficult to explain, 
      since the Etruscans had advanced to the stage of having penteconters, 
      while at the same time the other Italic peoples (The Latins, Romans, 
      Ligurians, the Piceni, etc) did not even possess battleships. 

      So what explains the halt in technological progress which ultimately 
      risked loss of control of the Tyrrhenian sea?  

      Was it lack of capacity or lack of will ? 
      =============================================End of Translation








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