Etruscans vs Romans: Difference and Comparison

Have you wondered how human civilization began with so many people on this planet?. Normally, a new civilization begins from the previous one.

According to history, the Etruscan civilization was the highest in Italy. It came before Rome was risen, due to which the Etruscans highly influenced Romans and shared some similarities and yet differed distinctly.

Key Takeaways

1. Etruscans were an ancient civilization in Italy predating the Roman Empire, while Romans later conquered the Etruscan territories.
2. Etruscan society was more egalitarian, with women enjoying higher social status than Roman society.
3. Romans absorbed various aspects of Etruscan cultures, such as architecture, religion, and art, which influenced the development of Roman civilization.

Etruscans v/s Romans

Etruscan civilization was advanced in metalworking, ceramics, and other crafts and had a complex society and influence on early Roman culture. The Romans were known for their military prowess and conquests, as well as their impressive architecture and engineering achievements, and adopted Etruscan civilisation.

Etruscans are a member of the ancient people of Etruria, Italy, which is situated between the Tiger and the rivers of Arno, which is on the west and south of the Apennines, whose civilization attained great height in the 6th Century BC.

The Romans acquired several characteristics of Etruscan culture.

The Romans are the population that originated from Rome city in Italy. Rome was known as the central part of the Roman Empire, the area controlled and managed by the Romans.

This area includes the part of Europe, i.e. France, Greece, and Spain, and the northern and middle eastern region of Africa.

Comparison Table

Parameters of Comparison	Etruscans	Romans
Known for	Etruscans were known for their rich mineral resources.	Romans were known for being great builders and civil engineers.
What makes their art unique	Romans have limited artistic language.	The sarcophagi portray the image of revelry.
Sarcophagi	The sarcophagi portray the mythological images of Greek and Romans.	The middle region of Italy.
Invention	They invented the tradition of placing images on lids.	They invented concrete, calendar, and underfloor heating.
Domination	The northern region of Italy.	Middle region of Italy.

What are Etruscans?

The Etruscans live in the Etrurian region of Italy’s peninsula. The Greeks knew them as the Tyrrhenians.

The Etruscans were at their highest peak from 5th to 8th century BC in Italy and were the rivals of the Greeks.

Their language was not similar to the languages of Greek and the other Mediterranean, and their characteristics were also different maki,ng the Greeks wonder about the origin of Etruscans.

Their origin has always been a topic of debate since ancient times.

For example, Herodotus debated that the Etruscans are descended from an individual who conquered Etruria before 800 BCE and built themselves above the indigenous Iron Age population of the area, whereas Dionysus of Halicarnassus assumed they were the locals of Italy.

In the middle of the 7th century BCE, the main towns of Etruscans were found.

Before arriving at the Arno River in the northern region and including all the areas of Tuscany in their control, they initially initiated a series of conquest.

The expansion of Etrurian culture in the southern and eastern regions was restricted at the Tiber River by the influential people of Italic Umbrian.

By the emergence of the 6th century BCE, the Etruscans conquered Fiesole and Volterra and began to approach the southward into Campania. Capua evolved as the main foundation of the Etruscans in that area.

What are Romans?

The Romans are the population derived from the Rome city in modern-day Italy. Rome was the capital or centre of the Roman Empire.

]In the 8th century BC, Ancient Rome expanded from a small city at the Tiber River into a kingdom that at its highest covered most of the parts of Europe, Great Brittan, the Western part of Asia, northern Africa, and many Mediterranean islands.

Under several legacies of Roman dominance, Christianity emerged as the world’s foremost religion. After being a republic for 450 years, Rome emerged as an empire in the rise of Julius Caesar and fell during the 1st century BC.

The vast and glorious reign of Augustus, the first emperor, became the blossom of peace and prosperity.

On the contrary, the Roman Empire descended in the 5th century AD, one of the most dramatic descending in human civilization’s history.

Roman-era as a kingdom ended in 509 BC with the defeat of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the seventh king, who was portrayed as wicked and cruel by antiquated historians compared to his kind predecessors.

Rome crumbled down eventually to the weight of its suffocated empire and lost all its provinces one by one.

After the deposition of the last emperor, Odovacar’s soldiers declared him the king of Italy and brought a dishonoured end to the long glorious history of the Roman Empire.

Main Differences Between Etruscans and Romans

1. Etruscans dominated the northern region of Italy, whereas the Romans dominated the middle region of Italy.
2. Etruscans used Etruscan as their official language, whereas the Romans used Latin as their official language.
3. Etruscans were well known for their rich mineral resources, whereas Romans were known for their great architecture and culture that remains unbeaten.
4. Etruscan art depicts the scenery of revelry, whereas Roman art depicts Greek and Roman mythology.
5. The Etruscans created the custom of drawing figures on the lids, whereas Romans created calendars and concrete, which is used till now.
6. The Etruscans were first seen in the 8th to 5th Century BC, whereas the Romans were in 753 BC.

References

1. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-roman-studies/article/roman-triumphs-and-etruscan-kings-the-changing-face-of-the-triumph/5AC226E5965E3F6BBBCC6B7E984837BA
2. https://www.jstor.org/stable/4238630

Last Updated : 13 July, 2023