LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Etruscans: Romans
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The Etruscans were a people who lived in central Italy. Their state was a federation of cities, and included areas such as Etruria, Latium and Campania. They ... founded Rome. Latium separated somewhere around 500 BC, soon followed by Rome and other cities. The Etruscans lost their independence in the 4th century BC and were assimilated in the Roman Republic in 265 BC. However, their influence remained in Roman culture (laws, architecture, sacral acts, etc.).
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It seems that there is no need to introduce the Etruscans themselves, because there are so many books about them that describe their art, religion and everyday life. But in spite of information in these books, the Etruscan mysteries continue to be hidden. It ... seems that every detail in Roman history and political life was recorded, while there are no such records about the Etruscans even though excavated artifacts testify to their great culture. But even that is not the biggest mystery. The biggest mystery is the fact that Romans were sending their sons to the Etruscan schools and every one of them after graduation mysteriously forgot the language as well as who were the Etruscans.
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Before the rise of Rome, the Etruscans dominated central Italy commercially and culturally. Significantly, it was the Etruscans who passed the alphabet on to the Romans. But in the first century B.C., when they had become Roman citizens and begun to speak Latin, their own language died out. Being of non-Indo-European origin, Etruscan is extremely difficult to interpret, and the difficulty is increased by the fact that no Etruscan literature survives. A certain amount has... been reconstructed from inscriptions. Here Dr. Bonfante sets out the rudiments of pronunciation and grammar as they are understood so far.
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The Etruscans occupied the region to the north of Rome, between the Arno and Tiber Rivers to the west of the Apennine Mountains. The Romans were first a subject people of the Etruscans and later their conquerors. The Etruscan culture was well-developed and advanced but distinctively different from the cultures of the other peoples in the region. This distinctive difference immediately led to the question of where did they originate. This question was subject to active speculation among the Greeks.
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Etruria, the homeland of the Etruscans, was located in the western part of Central Italy in the area of modern day Tuscany(so named after the Etruscans). Their origional boundries were small and only measured about 146 miles vertically and 94 miles horizontally.At it's southernmost tip, Etruria bordered on the Tiber River, which would later put it in direct contact with the early Romans.
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Etruscans became increasingly Romanized, their language replaced and eventually in the year 90 BC the rights of Roman citizenship were extended throughout Etruria. Many famous Romans, such as Cicero, were proud of their Etruscan heritage and the emperor Claudius, studied the language and wrote a history of the Etruscans.
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