From the very beginning of its existence, the Etruscan people appear in the eyes of the Ancient World rich and powerful nation. The self-name of the Etruscans is "rasena", their name inspired great fear, constantly appeared in "Annalach" which notes: "Even the Alpine tribes, especially the Rhaetians, are of the same origin as the Etruscans”; and Virgil, in his epic about the rise of Rome, recounts ancient Etruria in detail.

The Etruscan civilization was predominantly an urban civilization, in antiquity, which played an important role in the fate of Rome and the entire Western civilization. Etruria fell under the onslaught of the Roman legions by the middle of the 3rd century BC. e., but it has not lost its cultural role. Etruscan priests spoke the Etruscan language both in Tuscany and in Rome until the fall of the Roman Empire, that is, until the end of the 5th century AD. e. Beginning Greek sailors began to settle on the southern coasts of Italy and Sicily and traded with the inhabitants of the Etruscan cities.

The inhabitants of Etruria were known to the Greeks as "Tyrrhenians" or "Tyrsenians", and the Romans called them Tusks, hence the current name of Tuscany. According to Tacitus(“Annals”, IV, 55), during the time of the Roman Empire, retained the memory of his distant Etruscan origin; the Lydians even then considered themselves brothers of the Etruscans.

"Tyrrenians" is an adjective, most likely derived from the word "tirrha" or "tirrah"in Lydia there is a place called Tirra - turris - "tower", that is, "Tyrrhenians" are "people of the citadel." Root very common in the Etruscan language. The king of Tarhon, brother or son of Tyrrhenus, founded Tarquinia and the dodecapolis -. Names with the root tarch were given to the gods or, the Black Sea and Asia Minor.

The Etruscans are one of the peoples of an ancient civilization, survived the Indo-European invasion from the north in the period from 2000 to 1000 BC. e., and the catastrophe of the destruction of almost all tribes. The relationship of the Etruscan language with some pre-Hellenic idioms of Asia Minor and the islands of the Aegean was discovered - proves connection Etruscans and the Middle Eastern world. The whole history of the Etruscans unfolded in the Aegean Sea, it is from here that the Etruscans originate. religious submissions and rituals, their unique art and crafts that were not previously known on Tuscan soil.

On the island Lemnos in the 7th century BC e. spoke a language similar to Etruscan. The Etruscans, apparently, came from a mixture of ethnic elements of various origins. No doubt the diversity of the roots of the Etruscan people, born through the fusion of various ethnic elements.

Etruscans have Indo-European roots and appeared on the land of the Apennine Peninsula in the early years of the 7th century BC. e. Etruscan haplogroup G2a3a and G2a3b found in Europe; haplogroup G2a3b went to Europe through Starchevo and further through the archeological culture of Linear Band Pottery, was discovered by archaeologists in the center of Germany.

The Etruscan culture had a significant impact on the culture of the Romans. : the inhabitants of Rome adopted from the Etruscans their writing and the so-called Roman numerals that were originally Etruscan .The Romans adopted the skills of Etruscan urban planning, ancient Etruscan customs and religious beliefs and the entire pantheon of Etruscan gods was adopted by the Romans.

Under the Etruscan king Tarquinius the Ancient (VI century BC) in Rome began draining the swampy areas of the city through irrigation canals, a sewage system was arranged in Rome sewerage system and built Cloaca maxima, cloaca in Rome operates to this day.

stood on a high foundation – podium and had only one entrance facing south. The podium and foundations of the temples of the Etruscans were built of stone, and the buildings themselves, arches, vaults ceilings, complex rafter system they built from wood. This speaks of the ancient tradition of the Etruscan masters of wooden architecture A. The Romans are still surprised that The Etruscans built their houses out of wood. (log cabins), and did not build houses of marble.

Rome borrowed from the Etruscans the foundations of their, The monumental character of Roman architecture was inherited from the Etruscans and embodied in marble and stone. Architectural layout of the interior , atriums - the central premises in the houses of the Etruscans, borrowed by the Romans from the Etruscans. "Signor Piranesi claims that,when the Romans first wanted to build massive buildings, the solidity of which astonishes us, they were forced to turn to their neighbors for help.- Etruscan architects. The Romans in all the occupied lands built the Capitoline Temple with a southern entrance - a copy of the legendary building Etruscan architects Tarquinii and observed the rituals of all Etruscan religious holidays.

The Etruscans understood geodesy and measuring technique, and Roman surveyors learned from them. The division of Italian lands and the territory of all provinces into squares with a side 710 meters - this is the merit of the Etruscans.

In fact, the Etruscan civilization settled on the seven hills in Rome. By the end of the 4th century BC. e. Etruscan letters. Initially, the Etruscan cities had a monarchy.

Etruscan kings Tarquinii in Rome wore a golden crown, a golden ring and a scepter. Their ceremonial red toga-palmata served as clothing, and the royal procession was led lictors carrying on the shoulders fascia is a sign of the unlimited power of the ruler. Fasces consisted of a rod and an ax- a ceremonial weapon and a symbol of the political and religious power of the Tarquins.

In the VI century BC. e. the monarchy in Rome was replaced by a republic; the king was replaced, regularly re-elected, officials. The new state was essentially oligarchic with constant and strong Senate and annually changing magistrates. All power was in the hands oligarchy, consisting of principes - leading citizens. aristocratic class- ordo principum - controlled the interests of the community.

Etruscan families differed in names - nomen gentilicum, Etruscan "gens" - "gens" - a family group and cognomen- family branches, and each Etruscan had a personal name. The onomastic system of the Etruscans was exactly adopted by the Romans. Onomastics(from other Greek ὀνομαστική) - the art of giving names, was adopted by the Romans from the Etruscans.

The Etruscans influenced the history of Rome and the fate of the entire West. Latin peoples were part of the Etruscan confederation created by religious grounds.

In the VI century BC. e. the Etruscan League arose, which was a religious association of the Etruscan lands. political assembly Etruscan League was held during the general Etruscan annual religious holidays, a large fair was held, elected supreme leader of the Etruscan League, wearing title rex (king), later sacerdos (high priest), and in Rome - elected praetor or aedile of the fifteen peoples of Etruria.

The symbol of supreme power was preserved in Rome after the exile Etruscan dynasty Tarquinius from Rome to 510 BC e., when the Roman Republic arose, which existed for 500 years.

The loss of Rome was a serious blow to Etruria, and there were heavy battles on land and at sea with the Roman Republic and in the period 450-350. BC e.

Throughout Roman history, the Romans repeated all religious rituals performed by the Etruscan kings. During the celebration of triumph, victory over the enemy, solemn procession went to the Capitol, for sacrifice to Jupiter, and the commander stood in his war chariot, at the head of a cortege of captives and soldiers, and temporarily likened to the supreme deity.

The city of Rome was founded according to the plan and rite of the Etruscans. The bookmark of the city was accompanied by the Etruscans sacred rituals. The place of the future city was outlined in a circle by the city limits, and along it plowed the ritual furrow, protecting the future city from the external hostile world. The plowed circle around the territory of the city corresponded to the ideas of the Etruscans about the Heavenly world - Templum (lat. templum) - "Temple". The sacred walls of the city were called in Etruscan TULAR Spular (lat. tular spular) became known to the Romans as pomerium.

In the Etruscan city, three main streets, three gates, three temples were necessarily built - dedicated to Jupiter, Juno, Minerva. The rituals of building Etruscan cities - Etrusco ritu - were adopted by the Romans.

Mundus - a pit in the ground where the souls of ancestors lived, in Rome was located on the Palatine Hill. Throwing a handful of earth brought from the homeland into a common pit (Mundus) is the most important rite when laying a city, since the Etruscans and Italics believed that in the native land are the souls of the ancestors. That's why, city ​​founded according to this rite became their true the homeland where the souls of the ancestors moved.

Other Etruscan cities were founded and built in Etruria (on the Apennine Peninsula) in compliance with all Etruscan urban planning rules and in accordance with religious canons. So the Etruscan city was built Volterra, in Etruscan - Velatri, Lucumonius and others were surrounded by high city walls, and the city gates of Velatri Porta del Arco, decorated with sculptures - the heads of deities have survived to this day. In southern Italy, the Etruscans founded the cities of Nola, Acerra, Nocerra and the city - the fortress of Capua (Italian Capua), the Etruscan city of Manthua, later Mantua.

The famous ancient Roman roads that still exist today, for example, the Via Appia, were built not without the participation of the Etruscans.

The Etruscans built the largest hippodrome Ancient Rome - Circus Maximus, or the Big Circus. According to legend, the first chariot races were held at the hippodrome in the 6th century BC. Etruscan king of Rome Tarquinius Priscus, who was originally from the Etruscan city of Tarquinia.

The ancient tradition of gladiator fights originates from the Etruscan culture of sacrifice, when captive warriors began to be given a chance to survive, and if the prisoner happened to survive, they believed that the gods wanted it so.

In Etruria, tombs located outside the city walls Etruscan rule was invariably observed throughout the ancient Mediterranean: the settlements of the dead must be separated from the settlements of the living.

The Romans took as a model the arrangement of Etruscan tombs, the interior decoration of tombs, sarcophagi, urns with ashes, as well as the funeral rituals of the Etruscans, who believed in an afterlife similar to earthly life.

The Romans believed in the power of ancient Etruscan oaths that had magical powers, if they are addressed to the Etruscan deities of the Earth. The Etruscans built their houses from wood, a short-lived material, but the Etruscans built their tombs for centuries for eternal life, stone tombs were carved into the rocks, hidden in mounds, decorated with wall with images of feasts, dances and games, and filling the tombs with jewels, weapons, vases and other valuable items. "Life is a moment, death is forever"

Roman temples were built of stone and marble, but decorated according to the Etruscan type. wooden temples that existed in ancient Kose, Veii, Tarquinia, Volsinia, capital of the Etruscan confederation.

Found in the Etruscan city of Veii temple (of Apollo), with many life-size terracotta statues of gods, executed with amazing skill, the work of an Etruscan sculptor Vulka.

The Romans introduced almost all the Etruscan gods into their pantheon. Etruscan gods became Hades, (Aritimi) - Artemis, - Earth, (Etruscan Cel) - Geo (earth). in Etruscan Cels clan - Celsclan - "son of the Earth", "tribe of the Earth". (Satre) - Saturn; (Turnu), Turan, Turanshna (Etruscan Turansna) - an epithet of the goddess Turan - Swan, Swan; — Menerva. Etruscan god of vegetation and fertility, death and rebirth (Etruscan. Pupluna or Fufluna) originated in the city of Populonia. Etruscan Fufluns reigns at symposiums and memorial meals - corresponds to the Roman Bacchus, or Bacchus, the Greek Dionysus.

The supreme gods of the Etruscans were a trinity which was worshiped in the triple temples is . The Greek goddess Hecate became the visible embodiment of the triune Etruscan deity. trinity cult, which was worshiped in Etruscan sanctuaries with three walls - each dedicated to one of the three gods - is also present in Crete-Mycenaean civilization.

Just like the Etruscans, the Romans showed great interest in divination, fortunetellers, haruspices. Etruscan tombs often surround egg-shaped Etruscan columns cippi - low stone pillars (like the stone women of the Scythians) with decorations that are a symbol of the divine presence.

In Etruria, games and dances had a ritual origin and character. Etruscan warriors since ancient times studied military dances in gymnasiums, dances were not just a variety military training, but also to conquer location of the gods of war.

On the frescoes of Etruria we see armed men in helmets, dancing and banging spears on shields in time with the rhythm - , dedicated god Pyrrhus

Roman salii - warrior priests - performed a pyrrhic dance in honor of Mars, cruel gladiator fights (lat. munera gladiatoria) the Romans too borrow from Etruscan Tuscany in 264 BC. e.

The Etruscans were great lovers of music - to the sounds of a double flute, they fought, and went hunting, and cooked, and even punished slaves, which the Greek scientist and philosopher Aristotle writes about with some indignation.

Rome called to its celebrations Etruscan dancers and mimes, whom the Romans called "histriones" - "histriones" - this term the Romans too taken from the Etruscans. According to Titus Livius, Etruscan dancers and mimes appeased the evil gods with the rhythm of their movements, who sent a terrible scourge on the city of Rome - the plague in 364 BC. e.

The Etruscans owned specific methods of processing gold and silver. Found in 1836 in the mound of Cerveteri gold jewelry and the finest engraving of silver and bronze mirrors are the pinnacle of craftsmanship in the 7th century BC. - at that time, Roman jewelry did not exist!

Treasures from the tomb of Regolini-Galassi amaze with the perfection and technical ingenuity of amber and bronze jewelry, products chryselephantine, cosmetic boxes, brooches, combs, necklaces, tiaras, rings, bracelets and archaic earrings testify to the high skill of Etruscan jewelers.

D achievements lead the Etruscans to 7th century BC to a leading position among the artists of the Western Mediterranean. In the visual arts, there is a connection with the Phoenician, , the same fantastic beasts- chimeras, sphinxes and winged horses. Fantastic Etruscan Chimera actually represents animal image of the triune deity - commanding Birth is the image of the Goat-nurse, commanding Life - the image of the Lion, commanding Death - the image of the Snake.

In the middle of the III century BC. e. Rome subjugated Etruria (Tascana), the military and political role of Etruria was eliminated, but Etruria has not lost its originality. Religious traditions and crafts flourished in Etruria until the start of the Christian era, and Romanization was very slow. The Romans sent delegates to universal annual religious meeting twelve tribes Etruscans of 12 Etruscan cities in the main Shrine of Voltumnae - Fanum Voltumnae; it was called "concilium Etruriae".

The cities of southern Etruria near Rome soon fell into decay, and northern Etruria was a mining region- Chiusi, Perugia, Cortona, preserved the famous production workshops that produced items forged steel and bronze, Volterra and Arezzo - a large industrial center, Populonia - a metallurgical center ore mining and metal smelting, even under the rule of Rome, retained its industrial and commercial power.

Let's talk based on facts.

beautiful Russian word world . And how much is connected with him in history.

Everyone remembers our last orbital station World. The older generation of citizens of the USSR still remembers the slogans on the roofs of houses: Peace to the world, World peace.

The meaning of this word was well known to the communists, the church and the kings. This word attracted then, magnetizes today.

Even in school history, we see how our princes strove for the peace of Byzantium. At first they made raids, like boys who get to know a girl with slaps on the back of the head. Later, Rus' and Byzantium already consolidated the connection by dynastic marriages, and the princes did not resist religious merging with Byzantium. They were not stopped even by the loss of identity and part of sovereignty. Losses from are obvious, but there was something that turned out to be more important than these losses.

In our history there is also a mysterious surprise with which the philosophical idea "Moscow - the Third Rome" arose. It seems that she has nowhere to arise, but how clearly in the letter of the humble monk Philotheus it sounded: “Two Romes have fallen in their sins, the third stands, and the fourth will not happen.”

Paris and London were not counted in Rus', but Rome was counted. This is curious. But not just counted. They even connected their geography with Rome.

Let's read Tyutchev's little-known poem "Russian Geography", 1886. Try to see the hidden meaning in it.

Moscow and the city of Petrov, and Konstantinov city -

Here are the cherished capitals of the Russian kingdoms ...

But where is the limit for him? And where are its limits -

North, east, south and sunset?

For the coming times, fate will expose them ...

Seven inland seas and seven great rivers...

From the Nile to the Neva, from the Elbe to China,

From the Volga to the Euphrates, from the Ganges to the Danube...

Here is the Russian kingdom ... and will not pass away forever,

As the Spirit foresaw and Daniel foretold.

Let's leave biblical prophecy and look at hail Petrov , which the poet has by no means Petersburg, but Rome! The city of the Apostle Peter is mentioned in the same line with the second Rome - Constantinople and the third - Moscow.

Many centuries before Christianity, the First Rome received its original first name - World , and the word is as you understand Russian. World in reverse reading gives our own sound - Rome . And in any foreign language, he - Roma.

An interesting problem "Rome = World" has become the subject of attention of scientists. And the discovery of this mystery led to the discovery, maybe more than just a page in history. Of course, this discovery is not given a move. Because "here is the Russian spirit, here it smells of Russia."

It is the history of Rome that is the topic of our today's study.

When the country was baptized, and when the future Russia and the USSR were created, everyone, Vladimir the Baptist, Ivan III, and the communists acted in line with one idea. At all times, the leaders of the country considered themselves the successors of the ancient Empire. There is a lot of evidence of this in history. So, for example, thought Prince Svyatoslav, the son of Grand Duchess Olga. He declared: “It is not pleasant for me to live in Kyiv. I want to live on the Danube, in Pereslavets. That city is the middle of my land...” And what do you think, where is this land with its center in Pereslavets? Ivan III thought the same, proclaiming himself the ruler of not an existing, but a future state. He saw the Balkans and the Black Sea straits with the Holy Land as part of Rus'. Here is an excerpt from Paschalia to Ivan III in 1492. "God Himself appointed Ivan III - the new Tsar Constantine to the new city of Constantine - Moscow". The communists did not lag behind them when they wrote about the World Socialist Soviet Republic in their Constitution of the USSR of 1924. To consider yourself the heirs of the Roman Empire, you need to have at least some reason for this. And it seems they had these reasons.

By the way, in those ancient times, historians counted as many as 16 Kievs. Adam of Bremensky also said about one of them: “Kyiv is a rival of Constantinople, a glorious decoration ... Greece» . Where has that geography gone from history?

Let's continue about the beginning of the Empire of Rome.

In the article by V.A. Chudinov "Veliternsky cross - early Christianity or late Vedism?" reported:

“On the left we read the word ROME, on the right - the word MIR, which once again convinces us that ROME = WORLD, that is, that the city of Rome was once called the Russian word Mir.”

The image shows enlarged fragments.

“When reading the Etruscan inscriptions, I realized that the city of Rome was named by the Russians, who founded and built it. WORLD, however, when reading from right to left, which then came into fashion, they began to read ROME.

What is this? Etruscans, the predecessors of the Romans, turn out to be Russians according to their passport?

Let's start in order.

Historians know the so-called. Great Cross.

The cross as an artifact, dates back to the 6th century AD, found in the center of the Apennine Peninsula.

In proportion, this is a Christian Catholic cross! Pagan crosses are equal, this one is elongated. But according to the images - the Slavic cross!

On the reverse side, all the faces are zoomorphic; in the center is the face of the Lamb-Yar, at the top is the face of the falcon-Yar, on the left is the face of the Lamb as an Asian Isa, on the right is the face of the Lamb-Christ, below is the face of the bear Makosha.

So it is rather the cross of Yar than Christ.

Now about the name of the city.

The Slavic word MIR as the name of the city is not accidental. It is included in the nest of Slavic words for naming cities, for example, Vladimir = Own the World; Vladikavkaz = Own the Caucasus. And today Mir is known - a historical city in Belarus.

The short name Peace in Belarus is not at all accidental. As we will see later, this tradition belongs to the Belarusian Krivichi.

How the World Became Rome and Roma.

The reverse pronunciation of the word reflects the real contradiction of someone's interests. Therefore, the word "Rome" lives only in Russian.

The canonical formula of Latin legislative decrees, expressed by the words "Urbis et orbis" - translated as "the city and the world" has another literal translation - "the city and its surroundings." So the Latin decrees have the original Russian meaning "To the World and Rome", i.e. "to the Russian city and the surrounding Latin population."

First, there was an ethnic confrontation, expressed in verbal form. Due to differences in languages, the Russian name of the city World by the surrounding Latins was pronounced as A-mor.

The emergence of the word Amor explained by V.A. Chudinov (“Gods change. My answers to Mikhail Zadornov”):

“... Well, you know, like Abkhazians, they can’t say “shop”, they write “аshop”. They cannot say “stall”, but write “alariok”. So it is here."

The ethnic contradiction between the Russian townspeople and the surrounding Latins also manifested itself in linguistic rearrangements. Russian World, pronounced by the Latins as A-more, when read back, turned into known to everyone Roma.

So we have in the history of ROMAN or WORLD Rus' with the center in the city of MIR.

And this is not a beautiful fantasy with reverse readings. Similar metamorphoses surround us even now. In the literature one can often find the word goy. But when rereading according to the rules of Yiddish, we see the original sacred word yogi.

Before us is an unambiguous chain of reasoning. Russian World clashed with latin Rome And Rome eventually prevailed. The Etruscans, and now it seems Russians, have lost control of the city. What happened next is still unclear. The Latins seem to have become the masters, but until the 6th century AD, Slavic-Christian crosses in the same territory were made according to Slavic mythology.

One thing is clear. (I quote Somsikov)

In the vicinity of the city of Mir, Latin dominance. In the city there is a change in the ratio of the Russian and Latin population in the direction of increasing the Latin component. The process ends with a Latin coup. From now on, the city bears the name of the winners. There is no more Amor, there is a purely Latin city of Roma.

This is confirmed by the metaphorical story of two twin brothers Romulus (Roma) and Remus (Rome). It reflects the traditional Russian attitude towards others as brothers. Russian princes addressed their equals and called each other brother. Let us recall the recently existing "fraternal" republics of the people's democracies. This is natural for the Russian perception. Then "brother" Romulus (Roma) kills his "brother" Remus, i.e. the surrounding Latin population breaks into the city and exterminates the Russians. Russians (or Etruscans) naturally disappear from the history of the Apennine Peninsula and are never mentioned again, but the “scientific mystery of the Etruscans” arises.

The forerunners of the Romans had a higher urban culture, and then no one knows where and how suddenly and forever "disappear". Similar "mysterious disappearances" can be observed in recent history in the city of Grozny, where Russian residents also "mysteriously disappeared" after hostilities. No less “mysteriously” the number of Russians in the once also fraternal union republics of the former USSR is declining.

As you can see, the "scientific mystery of the Etruscans" is not so scientific and not at all mysterious.

How did the term Etruscans.

Probably, Russians and Latins confidently differed in appearance. Presumably the Russians were taller and fairer. No wonder the Romans had a myth about tall Atlantes. Southerners-Latins, respectively, are lower and blacker. The Russians stood out in the crowd, which was indicated by the demonstrative statements “this is Russian” and “these are Russians” - a fused reduced pronunciation gives “etrusks”.

The choice between Latinism and Byzantium.

So, our ancestors were defeated by the Latins, then the Germans and Greeks pressed. Other territories of Rus' were also “mastered”, including the eastern Baltic with its cities founded by Russian princes.

Our princely and royal ancestors knew about it. But for us, all this is an amazing discovery and somewhere even implausible. And now the motives of the princely actions, when establishing relations with Rome and Constantinople, become clear. Rome is our ancient historical enemy, and Constantinople is the opposite of Rome, and therefore our potential ally. That is why, in a situation of choice, they did not want to accept Latin Catholicism, but preferred the Byzantine rite - Orthodoxy.

Etruscans, who are they.

Reference books and encyclopedias report the following.

“The Etruscans (lat. Etrusci, self-name Rasenna) are an ancient people who inhabited in the first millennium BC. e. northwest of the Apennine Peninsula. The Etruscans created an advanced civilization that preceded the Roman one. The Etruscans gave the world their engineering art, the ability to build cities and roads, the arched vaults of buildings and gladiator fights, chariot races and funeral customs. In the 7th century BC. the peoples who inhabited Etruria owned a written language.

Now look at the writings of the Etruscans. Do the letters mean anything? And before Cyril and Methodius, more than a thousand years. Not to mention the state holiday of the "creation" of Slavic writing by the Greeks. And here we clearly see a letter written from right to left. Take a look at the inventory museum numbers at the bottom of the photo. Before us is evidence of reverse writing and reverse reading among the Etruscans. Later, on the Veliternsky cross, we already see a letter in proto-Cyrillic from left to right. This example specifically confirms the existence of direct and reverse writing in the same territory.

There is every reason to come forward to UNESCO with a proposal to establish a monument to the Slavs - the founders of European writing.

Rome was under the influence of the Etruscans until the middle of the VI century. BC. Around 510 BC Etruscan rulers were expelled from Rome, and at the same time from history.

For some reason, science does not know exact evidence of the origin of the Etruscans, although archeology has a significant number of artifacts of the Etruscan culture, including written evidence. It is reported that the letters have not yet been read either. This happens in science whenever, in fact, it comes to the Slavs and the ancestors of the Russians. There is only a modern "generally accepted" assumption, supported by Pope Pius II, that the Etruscans are from Lydia, a region in Asia Minor, forced to leave their homeland due to terrible famine and crop failure.

As argued in the 5th century BC. e. Herodotus, the Etruscans came to the Apennines from the north, when the Mycenaean civilization collapsed and the Hittite empire fell, that is, the appearance of the Etruscans can be dated to the 13th century BC. The dating is connected with the events that took place in countries neighboring the Romans and Greeks, where everyone knew each other well. But this does not at all prove that the Etruscans came to the future Italy from their neighbors in the Mediterranean. Strange, for some reason Herodotus pointed to the north. But the proud patricians of the Slavs did not recognize themselves as equals, which is still reflected in historical science.

From the version of Herodotus, a myth was created that the Roman state was founded by the hero Aeneas after the death of Troy and his flight to the west, and no Etruscans were teachers of the Romans. But the matter is not so simple. From here, Aeneas is within easy reach of the Venedian Slavs. And the Wends in our history of Rome were noted very clearly. The Wends professed the cult of Venus-Lada, which they brought to the future Rome.

Venus in ancient Rome was revered as the progenitor of the Roman people, and Rome was founded by the Trojan Aeneas, the son of Venus. Further, linguists lead us to the Latin reading of the name of the son of Venus. The syllable Aen in the Latin spelling of Aeneas - Aenea reads like Ven, in Russian transcription - Ven and we get for Aeneas - Veney , for Aeneas Aeneadae - Wends.

Today, these legends are hidden in the shadows and, on the contrary, they stick out the story about the she-wolf who nursed the brothers Romulus and Remus. But as we have already seen, the story of the brothers is a metaphorical reflection of that ancient confrontation between the Etruscans and the Latins.

So, the creation of the Roman state is connected with the previous civilization of the Etruscans and is intertwined with the Wends in the myths of the Romans themselves.

Let us quote a fragment of an interview with Academician V. Chudinov, given to the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper, April 18, 2007:

“The Etruscan language is a variety of the Belarusian language. They came from the Krivichi. As you know, the Krivichi lived in the east of Europe ... ”(but north of the Apennines, where Herodotus pointed out, approx. A.Sh.). Further, Chudinov reports: “Starting to decipher the Etruscan writing, I proceeded from the hypothetical assumption that the Etruscans were Slavs, and then I realized that they were them. These are Eastern Slavs from the Smolensk region.

Here is a clear confirmation of the translation. The etymology of the name "Krivichi" is based on Sanskrit, an ancient version of the Russian language. In the Aryan language, "kri" means writing, writing. And "vich" means "life." Therefore, the term Krivichi can be understood as “living with a letter”, or in a simple way, literate. Take another look at the column from Perugia with the Etruscan writings of the Krivichi. And after that, do you still believe in the Etruscan riddle, and in the Greek written gift to the Slavs?

We continue to quote Chudinov. “Later it became clear that they not only created Rome, but were also its first inhabitants, that is, the Slavic speech was the first to be heard in Rome.”

The terms Russian and Slav.

Let's define terms. In the modern concept and Russians And Slavs did not exist during the period under review. But there were peoples who adopted a common religious philosophy that determined their common way of life. The genetic ancestors of those whom we today refer to as Slavs And Russians this is a community of different peoples, but I repeat belonging to the same religious culture, and hence the common language.

Speaking of language. The Etruscans of the Wends left the Romans a whole heap of their words of monuments. Here are just some of them. In Latin the word temple sounds like vedes (aedes), famous Latin ether (aether) - like wind . And we will no longer be surprised why in ancient Roman ax is ax from the familiar verb flog and the shepherd pastor from our own verb graze ; Latin ophthalmologist - from the word eye , A justice - from the word charter , mouth . It is worth considering whether this is Roman Roman law on which modern justice is based. "Myths of the ancient Slavs". M., 1993

To be continued.

Roman culture of the early era developed on a local, Latin basis, but was influenced by more cultured peoples, first of all the Greeks, and then the Etruscans.

The Romans spoke Latin, which was enriched by Greek and Etruscan words. Maybe. Already in the VIII century. BC e. they used writing. Ancient authors tell about this, but no written monuments of this time have been preserved. The oldest Latin inscription dates from the end of VII. BC e. The Latin alphabet developed on the basis of the Greek, but the Etruscans participated in the transmission of the Greek written tradition.

In IV BC. e. stage games were introduced in Rome in the image of the Etruscans, performed by professional artists - histrions, as well as demonstrations of one-act plays, atellanes, invented by the Campanians and named after the Campanian city of Atella.

Until now, scientists have not revealed many of the mysteries of the Etruscans. It is not known where this people came from to Italy, what race they belonged to. Many of the inscriptions on the monuments could not be deciphered, although the Etruscans used the Greek alphabet.

The heyday of the Etruscan culture came at a time when the archaic era reigned in Greece. Etruria was then a strong maritime power, and its inhabitants were excellent sailors and wars. Rome was initially ruled by the Etruscan kings, although they were soon driven back by the Romans. But even after Etruria was conquered by Rome, and its population mixed with the Roman, Etruscan culture was of great importance for a long time.

An idea of ​​the architecture of this state is given mainly by the necropolises that archaeologists discovered near the cities of Etruria - Vertulonia, Cera, Populonia, Vulci, etc. The cities of the dead, consisting of many majestic tombs, played no less a role for the Etruscans than for the ancient Egyptians.

Most of the Etruscan tombs were found in the 19th century, and not by professional archaeologists, but by amateurs and treasure hunters. So, Father Regolini and General Galassi discovered one of the most interesting burials in Caere. The tomb is a construction of slabs hewn from tuff, in the form of a long corridor with a vault in the form of a pyramid. Two round chambers are attached to its middle one. When they entered the tomb, they saw on the couch the body of a woman in rich clothes. On the vessels standing nearby, the researchers read her name - Lartia. Unfortunately, the air that entered the room with them instantly reduced Lartia's body to dust.

The Etruscan tombs had a round shape: in ancient times, the circle symbolized the sky. The ceiling of the tomb was a vault formed by rows of stones hanging over each other. Although such a false vault did not actually rest on the walls, it was quite strong. Therefore, it is not entirely clear for what purpose a pillar was placed in the middle of the burial chamber in many tombs. Perhaps it had a symbolic meaning, representing the so-called cosmic axis, connecting heavenly space with the earthly and underground.

The proximity to the Egyptian culture is also indicated by the shape of many tombs, which are heaped mounds, vaguely reminiscent of the pyramids of the Egyptian pharaohs.

Unfortunately, not a single temple built by the Etruscans has survived. Unlike tombs, they were built of brick - mud or wood, so they could not be durable. But what these temples looked like is known: they had a square shape and were surrounded by columns on three sides. The Etruscan temple stood on a podium. Through the portico, the entrance to three temple premises was opened simultaneously. At the heart of such structures was an order called Tuscan or Etruscan. It was a variant of the Doric order but, unlike the latter, had more massive proportions and base.

The Italian type of residential building is associated with the traditions of Etruscan architecture. Its compositional center is the atrium - a large hall with a rectangular hole in the center of the ceiling.

The roof of the Etruscan temple was decorated with brightly painted terracotta masks of satyrs, silenes, maenads, Medusa the Gorgon. They were intended to scare away evil spirits - evil spirits and demons that could enter the temple.

Unlike Greek, Roman temples had a more stable and durable appearance. They were not as elegant and beautiful as the Greek ones: probably, the Etruscans attached more importance to what was inside, and not outside. The gods of Etruria were divided into several triads, the main among them was the triad consisting of Tinia, Uni and Menerva, analogous to Zeus, Hera and Athena in Greece and Jupiter, Juno and Minerva in Rome.

It was the Etruscans who created the first Roman temple, which the inhabitants of Ancient Rome considered their main shrine - the temple of Jupiter, Juno and Minerva on the Capitol. It was built from short-lived materials, so the Romans were constantly renovating it. Nevertheless, the building stood intact for quite a long time, until the 5th century BC. n. e., when the leader of the vandals Genseric tore off part of its gilded roof from the temple.

Thanks to the Etruscans, the Romans also had an emblem - a statue of the legendary she-wolf who nurtured the founders of the Great Empire - Romulus and Remus. Talented Etruscan masters cast it in bronze.

Etruscan cities have not yet been excavated. But it is known that the inhabitants of Etruria were one of the first among other peoples to begin to create cities with a regular layout. The Etruscans had excellent engineering skills. They built bridges, arches, roads. The gates, which played a huge role in the life of the Etruscans, speak of their architectural talents: they were the completion of the fortress walls and protected from the invasion of strangers. Such is the gate called the Arch of Augustus in Perugia. Above the space of the arch between the columns there are shields - symbols of the sky.

The period when talented craftsmen - the Etruscans built a temple on the Capitoline Hill and created a bronze she-wolf, was the final one in their history. By this time, the former power of Etruria remained in the past. The nearness of the end was also reflected in art, more gloomy and tragic than before. The tombs, as before, looked like the dwellings of the living - houses with household items, clothes, weapons. But now these things have become simply fake, they cannot be picked up, separated from the walls with which they form a single whole.

By the 3rd century BC. most of the cities of Etruria were already under the rule of Rome. The Romans settled the lands where the Etruscans had lived since ancient times, gradually mixing with the Roman population and forgetting their language.

The Etruscans are considered the creators of the first developed civilization on the Apennine Peninsula, whose achievements, long before the Roman Republic, include large cities with remarkable architecture, fine metalwork, ceramics, painting and sculpture, an extensive drainage and irrigation system, an alphabet, and later coinage. Perhaps the Etruscans were aliens from across the sea; their first settlements in Italy were flourishing communities located in the central part of its western coast, in an area called Etruria (approximately the territory of modern Tuscany and Lazio). The ancient Greeks knew the Etruscans under the name of Tyrrhenians (or Tyrsenes), and the part of the Mediterranean Sea between the Apennine Peninsula and the islands of Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica was called (and is called now) the Tyrrhenian Sea, since Etruscan sailors dominated here for several centuries. The Romans called the Etruscans Tusks (hence the modern Tuscany) or Etruscans, while the Etruscans themselves called themselves Rasna or Rasenna. In the era of their highest power, ca. 7th-5th centuries BC, the Etruscans extended their influence to a significant part of the Apennine Peninsula, up to the foothills of the Alps in the north and the environs of Naples in the south. Rome also submitted to them. Everywhere their dominance brought with it material prosperity, large-scale engineering projects, and achievements in the field of architecture. According to tradition, there was a confederation of twelve main city-states in Etruria, united in a religious and political union. These almost certainly included Caere (modern Cerveteri), Tarquinia (modern Tarquinia), Vetulonia, Veii and Volaterra (modern Volterra) - all directly on the coast or near it, as well as Perusia (modern Perugia), Cortona, Volsinii (modern Orvieto) and Arretius (modern Arezzo) in the interior of the country. Other important cities include Vulci, Clusium (modern Chiusi), Falerii, Populonia, Rusella and Fiesole.

Origin of the Etruscans

In the 7th century BC e. the peoples who inhabited Etruria mastered writing. Since they wrote in the Etruscan language, it is legitimate to call the region and the people by the names mentioned above. However, there is no exact evidence proving any one of the theories about the origin of the Etruscans. Two versions are most common: according to one of them, the Etruscans come from Italy, according to the other, these people migrated from the Eastern Mediterranean. Added to the ancient theories is the modern suggestion that the Etruscans migrated from the north.

In favor of the second theory are the works of Herodotus, which appeared in the 5th century BC. e. According to Herodotus, the Etruscans are from Lydia, a region in Asia Minor, - Tyrrhens or Tyrsenes, forced to leave their homeland due to terrible famine and crop failure. According to Herodotus, this happened almost simultaneously with the Trojan War. Hellanicus from the island of Lesbos mentioned the legend of the Pelasgians who arrived in Italy and became known as Tyrrhenians. At that time, the Mycenaean civilization collapsed and the Hittite empire fell, that is, the appearance of the Tyrrhenes should be dated to the 13th century BC, or a little later. Perhaps this legend is connected with the myth of the escape to the west of the Trojan hero Aeneas and the founding of the Roman state, which was of great importance to the Etruscans.

Supporters of the autochthonous version of the origin of the Etruscans identified them with the earlier culture of Villanova discovered in Italy. A similar theory was set forth in the 1st century BC. e. Dionysius of Halicarnassus, but the arguments given by him are doubtful. Archaeological excavations show a continuity from the Villanova I culture through the Villanova II culture with the importation of goods from the eastern Mediterranean and Greece until the Orientalizing period, when the first evidence of Etruscan manifestations in Etruria arises. At present, the Villanova culture is not associated with the Etruscans, but with the Italics.

Up to the middle of the 20th century. The "Lydian version" was subjected to serious criticism, especially after the decipherment of the Lydian inscriptions - their language had nothing to do with Etruscan. However, according to modern ideas, the Etruscans should not be identified with the Lydians, but with the more ancient, pre-Indo-European population of the west of Asia Minor, known as the "Protoluvians" or "peoples of the sea."

According to A. I. Nemirovsky, the intermediate point for the migration of the Etruscans from Asia Minor to Italy was Sardinia, where from the 15th century BC. e. there was a very similar to the Etruscans, but an unwritten culture of the Nuraghe builders.

Italian archaeologists have announced a sensational discovery: a perfectly preserved Etruscan villa has been found. Preserved so perfectly that scientists called this find the first of its kind for the entire time of the study of the Etruscan civilization. In all respects - dating, location, saturation of historical information - archaeologists received a unique object for research.

The villa was discovered on the territory of the Etruscan policy of Vetulonia (Vatluna, Vatl), the ruins of which are located near the modern town of Grosseto in Tuscany. Excavations here resumed in 2009. Vetulonia is often called the last Etruscan city: of the 12 communities of the Etruscan Union (the famous Twelve-gradia), which disappeared one after another as Rome expanded, Vetulonia lasted a couple of centuries longer than the rest. For comparison, no one has heard of the Etruscan captured by the Romans since 280 BC, while Vetulonia died after 80 BC.

It is known that the Romans adopted a lot from the Etruscans, from building and engineering knowledge to traditions and insignia. Such "inheritance of intellectual property" became possible, among other things, thanks to islands of the Etruscan civilization that were not immediately destroyed by Rome - such as Vetulonia.

The famous attributes of official power, many of which are strongly associated with Ancient Rome, are in fact of Etruscan origin - ancient authors wrote about this, this is confirmed by modern archaeological finds. The lictor fasces (a bundle of tied rods with a fixed axe, stylized images of which still appear on many state coats of arms and emblems), the curule chair, the toga pretexta (a white toga with a purple border on the side) are only part of the culture of power that the Romans adopted from defeated Etruscans. In the process of "appropriation" Vetulonia played an important role.

The rich villa, found by archaeologists, tells the story of the coexistence of the Etruscans and the Romans in the same city. The mansion quickly earned the nickname Domus dei dolia, "house of dolia", after the very first find: the researchers first stumbled upon a room densely packed with dolia - large vessels for storing olive oil.

Excavations of the southern part of the Domus dei dolia. Photo: Marco Merola

“This is a huge villa of at least 400 sq. meters. We counted ten living quarters and several utility rooms. Judging by the interior decoration and the location on a hill overlooking the surroundings, the house belonged to a wealthy representative of the Etruscan nobility,” archaeologist Simona Rafanelli, who has been working on excavations in Vetulonia since 2015, told the Italian edition of National Geographic.

It is noteworthy that on the urban plan the villa was located in the middle of the main street that connected the Roman and Etruscan regions of Vetulonia. Rafanelli explained the neighborhood of sworn enemies in this way: “From the 3rd century BC, a period of peaceful coexistence with Rome began in Vetulonia. For the city, this was a time of economic growth and prosperity, which was reflected in the renewal of religious buildings, the construction of new mansions and an increase in the urban population.

Domus dei dolia is another proof of the well-being of the city and its inhabitants. The earth has preserved all the details of the structure, from the foundation to the roof.

Fragments of terracotta tiles and palmettes that adorned the roof of the building. Photo: Marco Merola

Stone walls, magnificent finishes (one of the living rooms was originally frescoed in the early Pompeian style, also known as "inlaid" or "structural" - it gave the house an austere noble look), terracotta tiles and tiles, opus signinum floors (another technology adopted by the Romans from the Etruscans - in Italy it is still known under the name cocciopesto, in Russian - tartar: lime mortar with the addition of ceramic chips) ... Archaeologists have even found iron nails that fastened wooden beams-floors, and decoration - palmette crowning the roof of the building.

Iron nails fastening the wooden floors of an Etruscan villa. Photo: Marco Merola

In a recess under the floor of the same room with frescoes, archaeologists discovered several extremely valuable bronze figures. One of them is in the title photo: judging by the remains of a hand, the figurine once depicted a rider on a horse and served as a decorative top for a lamp. The figurine has been dated to the 4th century BC.

Among the artifacts found during the excavations, Etruscan and Roman coins are of particular interest. Etruscan independence ended in the 3rd century BC, but two cities, Vetulonia and Volterra, still tried to maintain their Etruscan identity - including by minting their own coins with the highest permission of the winner, Rome.

According to numismatists, this curious phenomenon did not last long, perhaps several decades - all the coins found earlier belong to the same 3rd century BC. Etruscan money circulated in parallel with Roman money, but not on an equal footing: only “ethnic Etruscans” could pay with it and only on the territory of the city that issued the coins.

The situation seems humiliating, but the Etruscans of Vetulonia used the coins as a kind of manifesto or ethnic declaration: silver and bronze coins with a low denomination were not of great value, but they were saturated with symbols and meanings. The inscription on the obverse of all the coins (Vatl or Vatluna, the Etruscan name of Vetulonia) unequivocally stated that the ancient city exists and prospers, since it has the ability to mint its own money.

Numismatists know four types of Vetulonia coins, but the most common (almost 300 copies were found before the excavation of Domus dei dolia) - with the image of a male head on the obverse, possibly the water deity Netuns (Nethuns), the Etruscan predecessor of Neptune. The reverse depicts a trident surrounded by two dolphins - a possible allusion to the connection of the Etruscan Vatluna with the sea and maritime trade, since the city is only 20 km from the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. These symbols were clear to contemporaries, as was the meaning of the message: the city did not lose its Etruscan identity and did not forget its glorious past, despite the growing power of Rome.

During the excavations of Domus dei dolia, archaeologists found many coins, but it was this bronze sestertius, with a trident and dolphins, that scientists called the most valuable specimen.

It is symbolic that another coin, a Roman one, found by archaeologists next to the villa, tells its own story - the story of the death of Vetulonia and the bloody end of the "peaceful coexistence" of two great cultures.

We are talking about the silver denarius of Lucius Thorius Balba - that is, a coin issued by the minting triumvir, whose name is well known to historians and makes it possible to definitely date the coin to 105 BC.

Silver denarius of Lucius Thorius Balba (105 BC), found during excavations of an Etruscan villa. Photo: Marco Merola