Customer Reviews

The Etruscans

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Palotinno keeps the flavor of mystery alive, while revealing the history of the Etruscans. There are newer books, with much more recent scientific explanation, but this book is still a good starting place.

This is another random book I read in preparation for a forthcoming visit to Italy. I'd read scattered bits about the Etruscans in other ancient texts, but I wanted to know more. I'm guessing this is a classic Italian text on the subject, since the English translations is from the 6th revised italian edition- and this book was originally published in the 50s.

Pallottino was the professor of Etruscan studies at the Universitye of Rome, so I'm guessing he knows what he's talking about, but unfortunately this book is now more then 40 years old, and I can't help but think that some of the arguments and inferences are dated.

Specifically, during the chapter on Etruscan religion, Pallottino describes a religion that strongly reminds me of the religion described by Botero in this Religion in Ancient Mesopotmaia. Pallottino passes through this description like he is actually unaware of the religious practices of the Mesopotmaians- which is feasible considering that he wrote this book in the 1950s.

At the same time, he discounts the popular "Etruscans came from Asia Minor" theory... honestly, after reading HIS descripition of Etruscan religion (emphasis on divination, reading of animal liv holy ers, 12 is the holy number) I found it hard to credit his other alternatives for the origin of Etruscan civilization. After all, isn't religion the deepest part of any ancient civilization?