Die Etrusker

Daily Life Series

by Jacques Heurgon

The Etruscans were the most important -- and remarkable -- of the peoples who inhabited early Italy. But when the Romans gained supremacy, the distinctive Etruscan culture gradually disappeared. This masterly re-creation of the lives of a now-forgotten people lifts the veil from every aspect of their civilization -- origins, language, religion, and art.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

Reviews

[Noella · Rating 3 out of 5]

In het nederlands gelezen: Zo leefden de Etrusken. Gekocht als een afgeschreven bibiliotheekboek.
Er is weinig geweten over de Etrusken, maar toch probeert de schrijver met de beschikbare gegevens ons een beeld te schetsen van het leven van dit pre-romeinse volk. Het is een al wat ouder boek, dus waarschijnlijk is er sinds het verschijnen ervan al veel meer bekend over dit volk. Ik vond het toch interessant om te lezen.

[Bill · Rating 2 out of 5]

Who knew we knew so little about the Etruscans? I appreciate the author's attempts to merge literary, archaeological and mythological glimpses of the Etruscans into a portrait of daily life, but there is still too little to build upon. Added to this, the author can be endearingly pedantic, but can also belabor points I'm ready to concede, such as, not all Etruscans were obese. That thesis really doesn't need a 12-page defense.

[Will · Rating 1 out of 5]

"All through their history the flute remained the favorite instrument of the Etruscans. The paintings and the cippi of the sixth and fifth centuries show, throbbing under the fingers of their players, lyres and citherns of seven strings and more, according to whatever new refinements the Greek lute-players had brought to the instruments at that period. And the flute-players are inseparable from these players of stringed instruments, at least in the early days. But then the duet between the Apollonian lyre and the Dionysiac flute was interrupted, but in different ways, in Greece and Etruria. In the former, the flute which Pericles had played like a virtuoso fell under the disapproval of Plato and Aristotle. In the latter, only the flute was heard at public and private concerts. Authors and monuments have made us familiar with many varieties of flute, which modern musicians would prefer to call clarinets and oboes. According to Virgil, the ones used at sacrifices were made of ivory; Pliny says they were made of box-wood. In archaic times small, short ones were preferred; on a late urn from the Tomb of the Volumii at Perugia a 'German' flute - that is, one held sideways - is depicted. But on the whole Etrutia remained faithful to the double flute, which is composed of two pipes, and Rome followed her, hardly ever using anything but tibiae, in the plural."

[Miguel Covas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy interesante. Al parecer, sabemos más de lo que creíamos acerca de los etruscos. Si uno se limita a lo que nos cuenta Robert Graves acerca de la erudición de Claudio sobre los etruscos podemos pensar que se trata de una civilización cuya cultura se ha perdido para siempre.
Igual el libro puede estar un poco desactualizado, al fin y al cabo el autor menciona el “reciente” desciframiento de la escritura Lineal B “por los sabios Chadwick y Ventris”, suceso que ocurrió a mediados de los 50.

[Ciro · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's tough to review books about Etruscology, because mostly the running thread between all of them is there isn't a lot to write about. For any particular question one might have about Etruscan culture, the answer seems to be, "We don't really know, or can't say for certain." Consequently they fill the pages not with information about Etruscans, but about the study of Etruscans—history of the discipline, what the evidence is (without too many conclusions), comparisons to Greece, etc.

This volume has all these problems, but I had much higher hopes for it because of the title and the table of contents. There is nothing in this book that you won't find in the more authoritative works by M. Pallottino, but its presentation suggests it will have details and conclusions that it does not have. It draws no actual impression of Etruscan daily life, gives no evocative details, except where the author is certain it coincides with Greek life. Mostly it talks about here-say from Latin authors and the discovery of various tombs. The book cannot be blamed for gaps in knowledge endemic to the entire discipline of Etruscology, but it does not meet its ambition, which was to me a great disappointment.

[Frrobins · Rating 1 out of 5]

Giving up on this. I wish I knew before I started that it was a translation. Given my experience with academic works translated from other languages, this was not that different I'm afraid. Difficult to read, extremely dry, and hard to follow at times. And basically what I got from the book was a long winded explanation that we really don't know a lot about the Etruscans rather than any sort of understanding about what we do know...or think we know.

Also, though I understand this would raise the price, considering how much of what we do know of the Etruscans comes from art, it would have helped to have colored pictures of the objects the book was referencing. You miss a lot of details in the black and white, poor quality photos that they do have. If you are bound and determined to get through this, I'd recommend keeping a tablet handy to look up photos on the internet with.

[Bry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly low rates of the community. The book is really well written and ordered in a nice comprehensible way. The author is a historian but can also describe the archeological discoveries. Most information refer to a typical life of an Etruscan citizen including their technological achievements, religious rituals, entertainment, etc. There are nice, interesting little curiosities too. Very enjoyable book.

[Livi · Rating 2 out of 5]

pretty good read for anyone who is interested in the etruscans - I am!

[Gregoire · Rating 3 out of 5]

Histoire des civilisations anciennes ...