ETRUSCAN RELIGION — The study of Etruscan religion rests on two sources, the archaeological evidence of practice and literary sources (largely Roman) relating to the ideals of the disciplina etrusca and the expertise of the augurs (netsvis or haruspex). From the… … Historical Dictionary of the Etruscans
ETRUSCAN PAINTING — The two best sources of Etruscan painting are on pottery and on the walls of tombs. The stylistic influence on the pottery is reflected in their nomenclature and their chronology: Etrusco geometric, Etrusco Corinthian, Etruscan black figure,… … Historical Dictionary of the Etruscans
ALPHABET — Etruscan writing appeared in Etruria from about 700 BC, using a Greek Euboean alphabet, with small additions and exclusions to fit Etruscan phonetics. Alphabets are prominent among early examples of writing, including those on the writing… … Historical Dictionary of the Etruscans
SPINA — A port city on the Adriatic founded in the late sixth century BC. The six hectare settlement probably consisted of wooden structures set between embankments and canals on a regular plan. The cemeteries (mainly fossa tombs) were set on sand… … Historical Dictionary of the Etruscans
BUCENA — A fourth century BC settlement in the Upper Arno Valley that is important because it registers some of the early development of Etruscan identity in this area of North Etruria. See also CASENTINO … Historical Dictionary of the Etruscans
CASENTINO — The modern name for the Upper Arno Valley on the mountainous edge of northern Etruria in the Apennines. This area was primarily a ritual upland zone (e.g., Monte Falterona), with little economic infrastructure or developed Etruscan identity… … Historical Dictionary of the Etruscans
THEORY — Etruscan archaeology has been traditionally most closely related to classical archaeology, which explicitly denies the presence of theoretical approaches. In actual fact, Etruscan archaeology has employed both implicit and more explicit theory … Historical Dictionary of the Etruscans
Italy — /it l ee/, n. a republic in S Europe, comprising a peninsula S of the Alps, and Sicily, Sardinia, Elba, and other smaller islands: a kingdom 1870 1946. 57,534,088; 116,294 sq. mi. (301,200 sq. km). Cap.: Rome. Italian, Italia. * * * Italy… … Universalium
Europe, history of — Introduction history of European peoples and cultures from prehistoric times to the present. Europe is a more ambiguous term than most geographic expressions. Its etymology is doubtful, as is the physical extent of the area it designates.… … Universalium
Anthropology and Archaeology — ▪ 2009 Introduction Anthropology Among the key developments in 2008 in the field of physical anthropology was the discovery by a large interdisciplinary team of Spanish and American scientists in northern Spain of a partial mandible (lower… … Universalium
