146 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECTS JOURNAL. 



[May, 



The name by which the Etruscans always called themselves wa. 

 Rasena That by which thev were known anionerst the (creeks 

 was Tyrseni, or f urrheni ; bn't as the Cmbrians and Pelasgians in 

 Italy were also called Tyrrhenian, it has given rise to some contu- 



^'^Authors differ g^reatlv as to whence the Etruscans came, or how far 

 their dominion actuallv extended. In fact, we only know enough 

 of them to excite our curiosity, without much hope of ever having 

 it satisfied. Notices of the Etruscans are only scattered here and 

 there in the Latin writings, nor can these cursory remarks always 

 be relied upon. . . , 



Micali says, "It is easy to understand how, during a period 

 when the passion for war wks all-absorbing, the proud and barbarous 

 indifference of the Romans despised the knowledge of a rival 

 people, with whom thev had so long disputed pre-eminence and 

 the empire of Italy." But there is little doubt that the Romans 

 not only despised, but wantonly falsified and destroyed the records 

 and monuments of Etruria ; and this has hitherto been an irre- 

 parable evil, as the Etruscan language entirely differs from any 

 now known, so that the inscriptions on the tombs are but a dumb 



treasure. /• i • e 



But who shall place a limit to the discoveries of this age ol 

 energy and enlightenment ? And when we remember how short a 

 time it is since Ur. William Young first discovered the key to the 

 hieroglyphics, and that within the last few months some light has 

 been thrown on the cuneiform character of Assyria, we need not 

 despair of being enabled at some future time to decyplier the few 

 remaining records of Etruria. 



Though some authors a<lvocate a different opinion, there seems 

 every reason to believe that the Etruscans were of Eastern origin. 



Their religious f(n-ms and ceremonies, their architecture and style 

 of masonry, all seem to denote this. According to Micali, "Tiie 

 Tuscan name filled with its glory all the country from the Alps to 

 the Sicilian straits ;" but their empire must soon have been con- 

 fined to Etruria Media, as between 900 and 1000, b. c, we find the 

 names of j^^'-notrians, Volscians, Latins, and others, as separate 

 states : whether trilnitary or not is uncertain. 



Long after tliis, however, and hmg after the foundation of Rome, 

 the Etruscans continued "lords of" the sea;" for out of respect to 

 their power, the one sea was called Tuscan, the other Adriatic, 

 fnmi their great city Adria. They sent out colonies even as far as 

 the coast of Spain, where they founded Tarraco, now Tarragona ; 

 and thus keeping up intercourse with all tlie nations bordering on 

 the Mediterranean, wealth flowed into their country, and art and 

 science followed in the train of commerce. 



Etruria Media, or Etruria Proper, comprehended what is now 

 the duchies of Tuscany and Lucca, tlie Papal States north of the 

 Tiber, and extended across from sea to sea. The government was 

 eminently favourable to the rise of art. It was aristocratic and 

 federal ; 'divided into twelve districts, under the names of the 

 twelve principal cities, Tarquinii, Veii, Falerii, C;ere, Volsinii 

 Vetulonia, Rusella", Clusium, Arretium, Cortona, Perusia, and 

 Volterra;. Each of these cities was ruled by a chief liicumo, or 

 king. Lars Porsenna was called King of Clusium. Tarquinii was 

 the capital city of the kingdom ; and in this district was the seat 

 of the great national council, ^'oltumna. Tlius these cities were 

 independent, though united, and naturally vied with each other in 

 producintr noble works of art. The firmness of the government 

 also tended to the cultivation of the elegancies of life ; for Etruria 

 changed neither name, language, laws, nor religious forms dunng 

 the whole jieriod of its existence, retaining the latter even after 

 its subjugation to Rome. 



In tiie north of Etruria the higher mountains are of limestone, 

 and the lower range of sandstone. The southern district is almost 

 entirely volcanic tufa, lava, and scorise, with occasional basalt or 

 limestone peaks, like S(n-acte, overtopping the lower volcanic hills. 

 Consequently the masonry of north and south Etruria difters con- 

 siderably. Owing to the greater difficulty of working the limestone 

 and sandstone, the blocks were seldom cut to a size, though gene- 

 rally squared and laid in horizontal courses. In the south, where 

 the stone was of a softer nature, and more easily worked, the 

 masonry was beautifully regular. The Etruscans seldom, if ever, 

 used cement, but relied entirely upon the bond of their work. In 

 some instances layers of tliin iii-icks or tiles were laid between the 

 courses of stone.' Rustic work was also frequently used by the 

 Etruscans. 



In part of the wall of Volterrie and elsewhere, the upper are 

 much more massive than the lower C(nirses, and are supposed to 

 have been placed thus, that the larger stones might be opposed to 

 the gtroke of the battering ram. 



The situation of Etruscan towns announces a greater degree of 



social security than was enjoyed by the Pelasgians or UmbriaiLS. 

 in the volcanic district the ground is split into ravines, each form- 

 ing a sort of natural fosse. A piece of land lying between two 

 such ravines was a favourite site with the Etruscans on which to 

 erect their cities. In the north the towns were situated on an 

 eminence, but not at such an unattainable height as the cities of 

 tlie earlier settlers. Each city was surrounded by a massive wall, 

 and guarded by square towers, usually about fifty feet apart. 



Sir William Cell, in his description ot the ancient tescennium, 

 says that about sixty towers yet remain standing. They have 

 chambers in the upper story, with doors opening from them on to 

 the wall so as to allow of an uninterrupted passage along the ram- 

 parts Each city had its citadel or arx, its temples, theatre, am- 

 phitheatre, baths, and other public buildings, remains of which may 

 yet be traced. Each city had also a complete system of sewerage, 

 by which the extent of these towns of ancient Etruria may be seen. 

 Etruria Proper was at one time so densely populated that there 

 were walled towns, occupying many square miles, and containing 

 several thousand inhabitants, within two miles of each other. 

 Now with few exceptions, these great cities are laid low. Perhaps 

 a modern Italian viUa^^e occupies a corner of the ancient site ; but 

 more frequently the spot is a wilderness, where the shepherds pas- 

 ture their flock's, or a desolate swamp, where the demon malaria 

 holds undisputed possession. • • i r 



There is no doubt that the Etruscans introduced the principle ot 

 cuneiform sustentation into Italy. A\'hether they worked out the 

 principle of the arch for themselves, or whether they acquired it 

 from the Egyptians, it is impossible to say; but that they under- 

 stood and practised it before the time of the Romans is tquite 

 certain. 



Etruscan Kniissai juin. 



It is singular that when they had once discovered this principle, 

 they did not always practice it ; but it seems they .>nly applied .t 

 to great public wcirks, and in other places still made ii<e of the old 

 Pelasgic methods. Many of their arches are formed by tlie courses 

 of stone proiecting one over the other ; and in the emissarii, or 

 .rrottoes at the embouchure of tlie water conduits, tlie pointed nrcli, 

 constructed with flat stones meeting at an angle, is fre.|uently met 

 with There is an uncemented arched cloaca at l.ravisca' the 

 voussoirs of which are from five to six feet in depth ; but the 1 orta 

 air Arco, at V.dterne, is considered the oldest and most perfect 

 Etruscan archway now in existence. It has been a consecrMf'.l 

 gateway, for the heads of the three divinities are p.aced above the 



