[The History of Rome, Book I by Theodor Mommsen]@TWC D-Link bookThe History of Rome, Book I CHAPTER IX 6/16
In like manner the name of the Etruscan Zeus, -Tina-or -Tinia-, is probably connected with the Sanscrit -dina-, meaning day, as -- Zan-- is connected with the synonymous -diwan-. But, even granting this, the Etruscan people appears withal scarcely less isolated "The Etruscans," Dionysius said long ago, "are like no other nation in language and manners;" and we have nothing to add to his statement. Home of the Etruscans It is equally difficult to determine from what quarter the Etruscans migrated into Italy; nor is much lost through our inability to answer the question, for this migration belonged at any rate to the infancy of the people, and their historical development began and ended in Italy.
No question, however, has been handled with greater zeal than this, in accordance with the principle which induces antiquaries especially to inquire into what is neither capable of being known nor worth the knowing--to inquire "who was Hecuba's mother," as the emperor Tiberius professed to do.
As the oldest and most important Etruscan towns lay far inland--in fact we find not a single Etruscan town of any note immediately on the coast except Populonia, which we know for certain was not one of the old twelve cities-- and the movement of the Etruscans in historical times was from north to south, it seems probable that they migrated into the peninsula by land.
Indeed the low stage of civilization, in which we find them at first, would ill accord with the hypothesis of immigration by sea.
Nations even in the earliest times crossed a strait as they would a stream; but to land on the west coast of Italy was a very different matter.
<<Back Index Next>> D-Link book Top TWC mobile books
|