Etruria

EAST AND WEST

  The Etruscans, a race of people who probably came from the Aegean or from Asia Minor, appeared in Italy around 700 BC, bringing with them their own language and culture. They founded cities, they had a strong fleet of trading vessels and they bartered with Fenicians, Carthagians, Greeks, Spaniards, French and along the valley of the Rodan even with the English. All the Mediterranean countries sought the Etruscan handcrafted metal. Iron was extracted from the heart of the Metal Hills, Mount Amiata, and from the

island of Elba. Iron, lead rich in silver, copper and tin were exchanged for luxury items both in the form of base elements or as precious crafted art work. The Etruscan aristocrats were particularly impressed by the opulence found in the courts of oriental royalty. The wealth of the Etruscans was not only due to the mineral deposits but also to the reclaiming of the lowlands yielding extremely fertile land. Here the field cultivations were abundant and on the nearby hills the vineyards flourished.