Contemporary views of Etruscan women



        AncientSites >Rome > Groups >Etruria 




      New Vines "Products Contest" with $500 in Prizes! Places To Go!Today's 
        PostsRomeAthensEgyptBabylonTaraMachuPicchuNewYorkAncientSitesSite 
        MapAncientVine

Rome Board Index | Rome Daily Posts


Board: Etruria
Topic: Women in Etruria 
Topic Editor: Nesnut Hatshepsut
Topic Description: Etruscan women enjoyed a gr...

  Email this post to a friend!




Message: Contemporary views of Etruscan women
Author: - Cornellia Cornelius 
Date: Apr 2, 1999 12:19
      To the ancient Greeks and Romans, there was something scandalous about the 
      Etruscans, especially the Etruscan women.  Theopompus,  Greek historian of 
      the 4th century BC, reported that the women enjoyed all the freedoms the 
      men had.  In the streets they walked boldly beside the men and at dinner 
      they reclined beside them.  They took great care of their faces and 
      bodies, removed hair from their skin with melted wax and took their 
      exercise in the nude.  For the Etruscans, "there is no shame," according 
      to Theopompus, "to be seen committing a sexual act in public.......when 
      they are at a gathering of friends, this is what they do: first of all, 
      when they have finished drinking and are ready for bed and while the 
      torches are still lighted, the servants bring in sometimes courtesans, 
      sometimes handsome boys and sometimes their own wives." 

      Theopompus then goes on to tell us that Etruscan women "brought up 
      together all the children born to them to them regardless of who the 
      father might be."  Roman historians, especially Livy, censured this 
      disregard for the rights and status of the paterfamilias.  Livy contrasts 
      the virtuous Roman mother with the Etruscan ladies reclining on their 
      banquet couches. 

      In the absence of any accounts to the contrary, the Greek and Roman views 
      prevailed.  It may well be that a more balanced account was contained in 
      the history written by Claudius, but sadly it didn't survive. 

      It was archaeology that has come to the rescue of the Etruscan reputation. 
       The most revealing discoveries have been the wall paintings in the tombs. 
       They depict a life a grace, pleasure and luxury that is a far cry from 
      the orgies that might be imagined from the ancient writers.  While they 
      don't directly contradict the ancient writers, they do put the Etruscan 
      life in a far more wholesome and appealing light. 

      The censorious view taken by the Greeks and Romans may be attributed in 
      some part to military rivalry and economic jealousy.  The Etruscans traded 
      with the Greeks and collected their art but they also joined with the 
      Carthaginians to fight and defeat them at sea.  The Etruscans taught the 
      Romans much of what they knew about art, culture and graceful living, but 
      they also sent kings to rule them when Rome was still a struggling city 
      state.








Next: Roman and Etruscan women ( - Tuscus Sempronius )
Previous: Rasna women and women's names ( - Tuscus Sempronius )