The Etruscans – and Their Chariots

The most ironic thing about the Etruscans of central and northern Italy is the fact that their very success doomed them to present-day obscurity and mystery. The reason for this is that the twelve great Etruscan city-states were probably the greatest single influence on Rome before its expansion. In fact, many in the ancient world considered Rome, despite its Latin language and origins, to be an Etruscan city. Etruscan territory was also among the first to be annexed into the growing Roman domain, and the descendants of the Rasna (or Rasenna), as they called themselves, were made into Roman citizens along with the rest of the Italians, at a very early date.

The upshot is that it becomes very difficult in the present day to separate pre-Roman pure Etruscan civilization from what occurred in the region after the Romans swept everything away. The fact that their language has never been adequately deciphered (it is one of those stand-alone oddities like Basque) has not helped much either.

Consequently, much of the history of the Etruscans has been pieced together through the years, using burial sites and art. From carvings found in burial sites and elsewhere we know that the Etruscans did indeed have chariot races: two and three horse teams pulling one-person baskets. By the prominence of chariot racing in Etruscan visual art, it is clear that the sport held a significant spot in Rasna hearts during the first half of the 5^th century BCE, with some differences from the way it was practiced in Greece, including the use of a helmet.

Other sports practiced by the Etruscans include discus and javelin throwing, wrestling and horse-racing, end there is even speculation that they introduced the Romans to gladiatorial games.

Experts believe that the most important sporting events in ancient Etruria took place during religious ceremonies such as burials, which makes the situation in the story extremely probable, apart from the fantasy element, especially considering the proliferation of deities within the Etruscan pantheon.

Etruscan women were considered equal to the men, much to the consternation of Greek visitors to the region often exercised. This has led to a series of defamatory articles written by certain Greek historians which are suspected to be at least partly apocryphal.

While tomb artwork does indicate that Etruscan society was sexually liberal, there is little to indicate that no one was quite certain as to who their father was, something that Greek travelers hinted at! Etruscan women were certainly interested in their bodies, and often exercised, but were not allowed to participate in the sporting events themselves.