In a certain period, the Romans became the most powerful nation ever on the Italian Peninsula. However, before they came to power, another nation dominated the region: the Etruscans. Since the Etruscan civilization emerged around 700 BC, from that time until the fifth century BC, the Romans lived in the shadow of their northern neighbors.
Despite significant competition in the Mediterranean, that dominance extended to the seas throughout the region. Phoenicians from the Levant were active traders to Spain; their relatives in Carthage were also engaged in trade, and the Greeks had colonies all over the Mediterranean. Nevertheless, Diodorus Siculus mentions when the Etruscans were “masters of the sea.”
The rise of the Etruscan Thalassocracy
After its emergence, the Etruscan civilization did not immediately become a mighty nation, although it quickly succeeded in its development. However, even after they became influential on the Italian Peninsula, it took them some time to form a thalassocracy (domination of the seas). Around 600 BC, the Etruscans could be called the “masters of the sea.”
Thus, Diodorus’ use of this term refers to their position in the sixth century. One of the reasons the Etruscans achieved powerful dominance in their seas was their abundant access to timber, as this resource was vital for making ships. The Etruscans greatly valued their ships because their models were found in Etruscan tombs and are often depicted in Etruscan art.
Degree of dominance
Later, the Greeks recognized that the Etruscans had once been “masters of the sea.” However, it isn’t brilliant to claim that the Etruscans ever dominated the entire Mediterranean. Their dominance was most substantial in the Tyrrhenian Sea, a region of the Mediterranean Sea between Italy and the islands of Corsica, Sardinia, and Sicily. This is logical because it was an area directly off the coast of their homeland, Etruria.
It was also said that the Etruscans founded colonies on these three islands. Because of the strong Etruscan dominance in this region, it became known as the Tyrrhenian Sea. The Etruscan trade went beyond the borders of this region. Visit. A F R I N I K . C O M .For the full article. They are also known to have reached southern Gaul, where they established a colony at the mouth of the Rhone River. According to Stephen of Byzantium, some Etruscans also settled in Spain. They spread far and wide, and trade between these disparate areas must have existed.
The Etruscans were active in the Western Mediterranean and in another direction, although the surviving sources do not describe this activity so often. Archaeological research is very valuable in this regard. Etruscan ceramics and other useful objects have been found throughout the Greek world, including along the Anatolian coast, such as Samos. It is unclear how much of this comes from Greek merchants transporting these goods from Etruria and how much from Etruscan merchants traveling to these parts.
However, scientists tend to follow the Etruscan traders’ version. Archaeological evidence indicates that the Etruscans dedicated a sanctuary on the island of Aegina, in the Saronic Gulf, off the coast of Greece. This shows their physical presence in this region. For these and other reasons, it is believed that the Etruscans traded within the Eastern Mediterranean.
Etruscan piracy
The dominance of the Etruscans on the seas was not liked by other peoples engaged in trade in the same areas. In ancient Greek literature, the Etruscans are repeatedly referred to as pirates. They were so closely associated with piracy that the Greeks considered them almost synonymous with this phenomenon. However, modern scientists tend to view these claims as hostile propaganda. It is believed that the Greeks rejected many sailors as “pirates” when they actively traded in areas where the Greeks would like to trade themselves.
Archaeology confirms that ordinary Etruscan traders often clashed fiercely with other ships. Ancient vases depict Etruscan merchants with a detachment of soldiers guarding their cargo. This indicates that the “pirates” the Greeks talked about were just ordinary Etruscan merchants. In those days, trading was dangerous, and perhaps the Etruscans were more prepared to defend themselves than most others. There is some limited evidence of active Etruscan aggression against the Greeks.
Herodotus describes an event that must have happened shortly before his time. He refers to the Pelasgians from the island of Lemnos, but “Pelasgians” has also been used as a synonym for the word “Etruscans.” A comparison of other ancient references to the Lemnos people, along with archaeological evidence, also shows that these “Pelasgians” were indeed Etruscans. He explains that they were driven out of their country by the Greeks. Later records tell of the same event, but the Pelasgians are called Tyrrhenians, that is Etruscans. Thus, it is likely that this event refers to the Etruscan raid on Greece.
The Myth of Dionysus
Etruscan aggression is also mentioned in a mythical poem written in the sixth century BC. This is one of the Homeric hymns (not written by Homer himself, despite the name). In this story, a group of Etruscan sailors sees a young man on the Greek coast (perhaps in mainland Greece or on a Greek island). The sailors rush ashore, grab the young man (who was the god Dionysus), and bring him back to their boat. As punishment for their actions, he turns all but one of them into dolphins.
It is widely believed that this myth is, in fact, a parody of the kind of Etruscan activity that was widespread in that era. This reflects the Greeks’ negative views of the Etruscans. Notably, the Etruscan sailors in the myth are described as having gone ashore to engage in piracy. This may support the idea that they raided some Greek shores from time to time.
The decline of the Etruscan domination of the seas
The dominance of the Etruscans on the seas began to weaken by the end of the sixth century BC. Even though they defeated the Greeks near Corsica in the critical Battle of Alalia in 535 BC, the next decade marked the beginning of the end. Cumae, a Greek colony in southern Italy, was becoming increasingly important. In 524 and 508 BC, they defeated the Etruscans on land in Italy. Then, in 474 BC, Cumae joined forces with the more powerful Sicilian city of Syracuse to defeat the Etruscans in a naval battle. It occurred in the Gulf of Naples and is commonly known as the Battle of Cumae. This key event marked the Etruscans’ fall as the region’s dominant naval force.
This led to the Etruscans losing their significant influence on the cities of Campania, a vast region south of Rome. With this naval defeat and losing control over part of their territory, the Etruscans began to be eclipsed by other peoples. This domination came to an end with the appearance of different cities. Cumae and Syracuse, in particular, were responsible for the decline of the Etruscans’ naval supremacy, who suffered a significant defeat at the Battle of Cumae in 474 BC.
