The Etruscans were an enigmatic race that populated much of Italy between the rivers Po and Tiber. The Etruscans were seen as a strange, different people in antiquity and had little or no similarities in culture or traditions with there neighbours. Historians believe that the Etruscan civilization was established between the tenth and eleventh century BC. There has been evidence from archaeological digs that the Etruscans were living in Italy from at least the time of the Iron Age and it is also believed that the Etruscans ended up laying the foundation of Rome. However most historians are still uncertain about the origin of the Etruscan development and culture.Of the well-known Etruscan cities, the majority are virtually unexplored, and some of them are now buried underneath new towns that arose before the archaeologists could find out where these cities were. Others have been found by accident and had only a brief and limited excavation time. There were seven major centres in the Etruscan territory. They were: Tarquinii, Caere, Vulci, Vetulonia, Volaterrae, Clusium and Veii.Tarquinii was the first Etruscan centre to respond to an external desire for its metals by completing the process of urbanization. It was positioned on the southwest tip of the territory. It was surrounded by land on three sides, and water on the other. It controlled much of the mining in Etruria and was one of the major port centres for the empires naval ships. Caere was strategically located at the junction of the coastal plains and the hills, and history suggests that it may have also had access to the mines of Tarquinii. The people of Caere were very strong on the sea. They were very involved in importing and exporting; as well they had a very strong navy. These people also carried on a great relationship with the Roman’s which helped them greatly on some occasions. Vulci was located on the north side of Tarquinii. The two bases of Vulc...
