1 May 2011

Recovering Casa delle Anfore


Past Horizons has published Life and Death of an Etruscan Settlement, discussing the archaeology in Casa delle Anfore and what's been found. The 3D reconstructions are very helpful in giving the reader a clear picture of its past.

Just beware of the archaeological hard-sell so common in this field. The author feels the need, it seems, to begin by over-hyping the significance of the site as the means to solve the "origin mystery" of the Etruscans that seriously no longer exists.
"Whilst some believe [Etruscans] were an ancient race from the heartland of present day Tuscany, others trace their origins to northern Europe, and recent DNA analysis suggests validation of the claims of Herodotus."
It's very strongly evidenced that the Etruscans were from Asia Minor and that any "native Italian" contributions present in Etruscan civilization appear to be minor by comparison, as I continue to explain through examples and evidence on my blog. So this tacky mystery-mongering gets transparent very quickly. (And now I'm done my griping.)

Nonetheless the site is certain no matter what to give us more answers on a fascinating civilization and there are plenty of newer mysteries to keep our minds busy.

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