Etruria
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- This article is about the ancient Italian country. Etruria, Staffordshire is also a place in England.
Etruria was an ancient country in central Italy, located in an area that covered part of what now are Tuscany, Latium and Umbria. It is identified as the territory of Etruscans, and it was one of the most important city/states on the Italian peninsula before falling to Rome in the third century B.C.
Etruria became dominant in the Italian peninsula after 650 BCE. Their expansion included the Po Valley and Latium and continued south until they came in contact with the Greek colonies in southern Italy.
Etruscan kings most notably conquered and ruled Rome for 100 years until 509 BCE when the last Etruscan king was removed from power and the Roman Republic was established. The Etruscans are credited with changing Rome from a farming village into a large city. They are also responsible for building the first road on the main street of Rome, the Via Sacra, and also temples, housing, markets, etc.
The Etruscans are responsible for much of the Greek culture imported into Rome, including the Olympian deities, the Latin alphabet (adopted from the Greek), the phalanx, and the growing of olives and grapes.
The Kingdom of Etruria was a Napoleonic creation in Tuscany which existed from 1801 to 1807.
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