Customer Reviews

The Etruscan Cities & Rome

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I received this book as a gift--which is always dangerous with Etruscan because the field is rife with sloppy theorizing and bad scholarship.

But this book turned out to be a true gem: clear, well-researched, and not overstretching of the evidence. And I was particularly delighted with Scullard's copious references to Etruscan historical traditions and legends from classical authors--with a breadth that I have not seen in any other Etruscan book to date. It has assumed pride of place in my Etruscan library.

This book, though now outdated, contains a wealth of information on questions which have only just recently become prominent in the field of Italian archaeology. Scullard does a brilliant job of unwraveling the fabric of the Etruscan city and the role the local elites played in pre-Roman Etruria. The book is a great starting place for anyone interested in the material culture of Etruscan cities and the influence they had on the development of Archaic Rome.

Granted there's not a lot known about the Etrusians; but rather than analyze what's been found about these people and give some insight as to how they lived, why they came to prominence and then why they faded almost into oblivion, the author lists and lists what was found in the tombs. However, you'll find excellent maps of the cities but overall it's laborious to read. The Time-Life series is much more interesting and overall more informative for a non Archeological student. How many times can you say that?

Granted there's not a lot known about the Etrusians; but rather than analyze what's been found about these people and give some insight as to how they lived, why they came to prominence and then why they faded almost into oblivion, the author lists and lists what was found in the tombs. However, you'll find excellent maps of the cities but overall it's laborious to read. The Time-Life series is much more interesting and overall more informative for a non Archeological student. How many times can you say that?