The Mysterious Etruscans

The Etruscans were the original inhabitants of central Italy. Centuries before Rome’s rise, they built cities along fortified hilltops, developed a system of roads, and invented the “Roman” arch. While they had their own system of government and their own myths, the Etruscans borrowed much from the Greeks—and gave much to the Romans. Without them, much of the foundations of Western civilization would disappear.