The Etruscans: A Classical Fantasy

In popular imagination the Etruscans are the very stuff of fantasy, myth and legend. Who are they, where did they come from, what does their language mean? 

Details of a wall painting from the Tomb of the Leopards, Tarquinia, 5th century BC. [Credit: Nicholson Museum]

In reality, although wiped out or assimilated by Rome, they have left us an extraordinarily rich heritage of art, jewellery, metal working, terracotta sculpture, urban planning, walls, and roads. 

Indeed, in the 6th century BC, the Etruscans were the most powerful people in the Mediterranean.

So what went wrong?

Find out at The Etruscans: A Classical Fantasy an ongoing exhibition at Sydney University's Nicholson Museum.

Source: Nicholson Museum/University of Sydney [July 26, 2012]