CERVETERI - CAERE
The
Etruscan cemetery near the town of Cerveteri, north of Rome, contains a
large number of remarkable tombs - mostly from
about 600-500 BC. The
town was originally called
Caere. Later when the Romans ruled this area the people moved to
another town, and this one became CAERE VETEREM (Old Caere), or
Cerveteri.
Each
of these tombs was
for
one
family. Some mounds contain more than one tomb.
Many
of the tombs are partly
or completely underground.
The rock is very soft, and it has often been carved to make the tombs
inside look
like houses with rooms.
The
Etruscans were
clearly a
rich and clever people. It is not surprising that they were very
powerful, and even dominated Rome at this time. The last king of Rome,
Tarquin the Proud, was an Etruscan. The Romans in fact
learnt many things from them. The Etruscans gave the Romans the idea of
the arch and
introduced them to gladiator fights.
Their
language
is not completetely understood. It can be read because it uses
an alphabet like the Greek and Roman ones. But much of the vocabulary
and
the grammar is not known.
more information
on Etruscan tombs