It was a powerful and sophisticated ancient Italian civilisation that had threatened to squash the fledgling Roman state just as it was starting to emerge.
But little now remains of the Etruscan civilisation that had flourished across much of Italy between 800BC and 500BC before it was defeated and absorbed by Rome.
Archaeologists, however, believe they have made an important discovery carved into a huge stone slab found at an ancient Etruscan temple that may reveal more about this mysterious culture...
Did the Etruscans follow a fertility cult? Inscribed stone slab reveals mysteries of ancient Italian civilisation
Archaeologists have been studying the inscription on a 500lb slab
It was found embedded in the foundations of a temple in Poggio Colla
They have found the name Uni in the text - an important fertility goddess
Archaeologists believe the slab may spell out ceremonial religious rituals
By Richard Gray for MailOnline
25 August 2016
It was a powerful and sophisticated ancient Italian civilisation that had threatened to squash the fledgling Roman state just as it was starting to emerge.
But little now remains of the Etruscan civilisation that had flourished across much of Italy between 800BC and 500BC before it was defeated and absorbed by Rome.
Archaeologists, however, believe they have made an important discovery carved into a huge stone slab found at an ancient Etruscan temple that may reveal more about this mysterious culture.
A stone slab bearing one of the longest surviving texts from the ancient Etruscan civilisation is revealing new details about the culture and religious beliefs of this mysterious culture. The slab, found at a temple, is thought to spell out ceremonial religious rituals
They are translating an inscription in one of the longest Etruscan texts ever found, carved into a 500lb stone slab embedded in a temple wall at Poggio Colla.
Within the text they have discovered the name Uni – an important goddess of fertility and possibly a mother goddess.
They believe this suggests the diety had been worshipped at the ancient sanctuary where the slab was found.
Poggio Colla, in Italy's Mugello Valley to the northeast of Florence, is thought to have been a key settlement for the ancient Etruscans and may have been home to a fertility cult.
A ceramic fragment found at the same site depicts the earliest birth scene to be shown in European art.
Dr Gregory Warden, principal investigator of the Mugello Valley Archaeological Project that made the discovery and an archaeologist at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said: 'This discovery is one of the most important Etruscan discoveries of the last few decades.
'It's a discovery that will provide not only valuable information about the nature of sacred practices at Poggio Colla, but also fundamental data for understanding the concepts and rituals of the Etruscans, as well as their writing and perhaps their language.'
The stone slab, or stele, was discovered during excavations at a 2,500 year old temple in Poggio Colla in central Italy (shown on map)
Three inscribed surfaces of the stele (pictured) have revealed mention of the goddess Uni as well as a reference to the god Tina, the name of the supreme deity of the Etruscans
The 500-pound Etruscan stele is nearly four feet tall by more than two feet wide. It was discovered embedded in the foundations of an ancient Etruscan temple (pictured)
The text consists of more than 120 characters and is giving archaeologists new insights into their writing.
The Etruscan language remains only partly understood as just a handful of texts survive today.
Their civilisation appear to have been extremely wealthy, perhaps through trade with the Celtic world to the north and the Greeks to the south.
Tombs have been found filled with imported luxuries while ancient Greece appears to have had a heavy influence on their art.
Archaeologists have been attempting to translate the text on the stone slab (pictured being cleaned) in the hope of discovering new details about the mysterious civilisation
There are several blocks of text on the sandstone slab (illustrated left). Only a handful of Etruscan texts remain and it is thought this inscribed stone (instription pictured right) may have sat on display in the temple
The Etruscan belief system was polytheistic where a pantheon of lesser dieties were ruled over by higher ones including Tinia, the sky, and his wife Uni, and Cel, the earth goddess.
It is thought that their religious beliefs permeated almost all aspects of their culture and life.
The sandstone slab, which is nearly four feet tall and two feet wide, dates to around the 6th Century BC.
Archaeologists found the slab (pictured) at the end of nearly two decades of excavations in the Mugello Valley and have been studying it in the hope of unravelling more about the Etruscans
Known as a stele, it was found embedded in the foundations of a temple during the final stages of two decades of excavations at the Mugello Valley.
Dr Warden said at one time it would have been displayed as an imposing and monumental symbol of authority.
'It is also possible that it expresses the laws of the sanctuary — a series of prescriptions related to ceremonies that would have taken place there, perhaps in connection with an altar or some other sacred space,' he said.
The researchers are due to announce their discovery at an exhibit in Florence and in an article to be published in the journal Etruscan Studies.
Professor Adriano Maggiani, an archaeologist at the University of Venice who is part of the team trying to decipher the inscription, added: 'The location of its discovery — a place where prestigious offerings were made — and the possible presence in the inscription of the name of Uni, as well as the care of the drafting of the text, which brings to mind the work of a stone carver who faithfully followed a model transmitted by a careful and educated scribe, suggest that the document had a dedicatory character.'
THE ETRUSCANS AND ROME
The Etruscans dominated much of central Italy, governing what is now known as Tuscany, western Umbria and northern Lazio.
It is first thought to have emerged in around 800BC but reached its height in around 600 to 500BC.
According to the Roman foundation myth, the Etruscans led by King Mezentius attacked the Latin tribes and the Trojans, but were eventually defeated.
There were a series of wars between the Etruscans and the emerging Roman kingdom as the Etruscans sought to suppress Rome as a potential future threat.
Rome sat on the very edge of the Etruscan territory and as its power grew, the Etruscan cities were gradually absorbed into its empire by around 100BC.
Etruscan riders, Silver panel 540-520BC, from Castel San Marino, near Perugia, Umbria
But little now remains of the Etruscan civilisation that had flourished across much of Italy between 800BC and 500BC before it was defeated and absorbed by Rome.
Archaeologists, however, believe they have made an important discovery carved into a huge stone slab found at an ancient Etruscan temple that may reveal more about this mysterious culture...
Did the Etruscans follow a fertility cult? Inscribed stone slab reveals mysteries of ancient Italian civilisation
Archaeologists have been studying the inscription on a 500lb slab
It was found embedded in the foundations of a temple in Poggio Colla
They have found the name Uni in the text - an important fertility goddess
Archaeologists believe the slab may spell out ceremonial religious rituals
By Richard Gray for MailOnline
25 August 2016
It was a powerful and sophisticated ancient Italian civilisation that had threatened to squash the fledgling Roman state just as it was starting to emerge.
But little now remains of the Etruscan civilisation that had flourished across much of Italy between 800BC and 500BC before it was defeated and absorbed by Rome.
Archaeologists, however, believe they have made an important discovery carved into a huge stone slab found at an ancient Etruscan temple that may reveal more about this mysterious culture.
A stone slab bearing one of the longest surviving texts from the ancient Etruscan civilisation is revealing new details about the culture and religious beliefs of this mysterious culture. The slab, found at a temple, is thought to spell out ceremonial religious rituals
They are translating an inscription in one of the longest Etruscan texts ever found, carved into a 500lb stone slab embedded in a temple wall at Poggio Colla.
Within the text they have discovered the name Uni – an important goddess of fertility and possibly a mother goddess.
They believe this suggests the diety had been worshipped at the ancient sanctuary where the slab was found.
Poggio Colla, in Italy's Mugello Valley to the northeast of Florence, is thought to have been a key settlement for the ancient Etruscans and may have been home to a fertility cult.
A ceramic fragment found at the same site depicts the earliest birth scene to be shown in European art.
Dr Gregory Warden, principal investigator of the Mugello Valley Archaeological Project that made the discovery and an archaeologist at the Southern Methodist University in Dallas, said: 'This discovery is one of the most important Etruscan discoveries of the last few decades.
'It's a discovery that will provide not only valuable information about the nature of sacred practices at Poggio Colla, but also fundamental data for understanding the concepts and rituals of the Etruscans, as well as their writing and perhaps their language.'
The stone slab, or stele, was discovered during excavations at a 2,500 year old temple in Poggio Colla in central Italy (shown on map)
Three inscribed surfaces of the stele (pictured) have revealed mention of the goddess Uni as well as a reference to the god Tina, the name of the supreme deity of the Etruscans
The 500-pound Etruscan stele is nearly four feet tall by more than two feet wide. It was discovered embedded in the foundations of an ancient Etruscan temple (pictured)
The text consists of more than 120 characters and is giving archaeologists new insights into their writing.
The Etruscan language remains only partly understood as just a handful of texts survive today.
Their civilisation appear to have been extremely wealthy, perhaps through trade with the Celtic world to the north and the Greeks to the south.
Tombs have been found filled with imported luxuries while ancient Greece appears to have had a heavy influence on their art.
Archaeologists have been attempting to translate the text on the stone slab (pictured being cleaned) in the hope of discovering new details about the mysterious civilisation
There are several blocks of text on the sandstone slab (illustrated left). Only a handful of Etruscan texts remain and it is thought this inscribed stone (instription pictured right) may have sat on display in the temple
The Etruscan belief system was polytheistic where a pantheon of lesser dieties were ruled over by higher ones including Tinia, the sky, and his wife Uni, and Cel, the earth goddess.
It is thought that their religious beliefs permeated almost all aspects of their culture and life.
The sandstone slab, which is nearly four feet tall and two feet wide, dates to around the 6th Century BC.
Archaeologists found the slab (pictured) at the end of nearly two decades of excavations in the Mugello Valley and have been studying it in the hope of unravelling more about the Etruscans
Known as a stele, it was found embedded in the foundations of a temple during the final stages of two decades of excavations at the Mugello Valley.
Dr Warden said at one time it would have been displayed as an imposing and monumental symbol of authority.
'It is also possible that it expresses the laws of the sanctuary — a series of prescriptions related to ceremonies that would have taken place there, perhaps in connection with an altar or some other sacred space,' he said.
The researchers are due to announce their discovery at an exhibit in Florence and in an article to be published in the journal Etruscan Studies.
Professor Adriano Maggiani, an archaeologist at the University of Venice who is part of the team trying to decipher the inscription, added: 'The location of its discovery — a place where prestigious offerings were made — and the possible presence in the inscription of the name of Uni, as well as the care of the drafting of the text, which brings to mind the work of a stone carver who faithfully followed a model transmitted by a careful and educated scribe, suggest that the document had a dedicatory character.'
THE ETRUSCANS AND ROME
The Etruscans dominated much of central Italy, governing what is now known as Tuscany, western Umbria and northern Lazio.
It is first thought to have emerged in around 800BC but reached its height in around 600 to 500BC.
According to the Roman foundation myth, the Etruscans led by King Mezentius attacked the Latin tribes and the Trojans, but were eventually defeated.
There were a series of wars between the Etruscans and the emerging Roman kingdom as the Etruscans sought to suppress Rome as a potential future threat.
Rome sat on the very edge of the Etruscan territory and as its power grew, the Etruscan cities were gradually absorbed into its empire by around 100BC.
Etruscan riders, Silver panel 540-520BC, from Castel San Marino, near Perugia, Umbria
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