Relating to ancient Etruria, a civilization in what is now Italy that existed before the Romans, or the language they spoke.
From Latin 'Etruscus,' referring to the Etruscan people who inhabited central Italy (modern-day Tuscany) from around 900-27 BCE. The Romans adopted and adapted much of Etruscan culture, religion, and political structures. The term comes from the Greek 'Tyrrhenoi,' which was another name for these ancient people.
The Etruscans were so influential that Romans borrowed their religious practices, especially reading animal entrails to predict the future—a practice called haruspicy. Fascinating because this 'mystical' Roman tradition was actually inherited from an earlier civilization we're still learning to read, since their language remains only partially understood.
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