History of the ETRUSCANS in Spain

One of the most important peoples that we tend to forget in our study of history are the etruscans, being the ancestors of the Romans and, therefore, a culture that without its existence we could not speak of Western culture as we know it today.

The Etruscans did not have as enormous an expansion as the Romans, but they still managed to create settlements in other European areas. To know its presence in our region, in this lesson from a PROFESSOR we will offer you a summary of the Etruscans in Spain.

The etruscans They were an ancient people that had their central area in the Italian Tuscany regionTheir expansion started in this area, but they ended up expanding to other areas of the Italian Peninsula such as Umbria, Lazio, Lombardy, Veneto and Campania; in the end, they occupied an area of ​​influence much greater than the rest of the towns of the time. His great expansion throughout the Italian regions collided with the presence of other Italian peoples such as Tyrrhenians or the Lemnians

, but his main opponent It was the Greek region of the Magna Grecia which was an area to the south occupied by Greek colonies.

Over the years, the Etruscans became a very strong town in the maritime area, forming colonies in Sardinia, Corsica and even in the Iberian Peninsula, but its power did not go unnoticed by other powers that faced the Etruscans to curb their growing power. Little by little, the enemies of the Etruscans grew and they had to face great enemies such as the Celts or the Carthaginians, finally being the Romans who finished defeating the Etruscans and turning his region into Rome.

Over the years, the Romans occupied the area of ​​influence of the Etruscans, forming the powerful Roman Republic that occupied the entire Italic region and that was born from Etruscan concepts. Currently, it is considered vital to Etruscans as predecessors of the Romans and therefore as ancestors of the entire Western world.

Some of its main elements such as the expansion, maritime power or the importance of military life seems to make it clear that they were key to understanding the culture of the Romans who shared many of these elements.

Origin of the Etruscans and culture

Regarding the Etruscan origin we are not totally sure, since the sources of the time differ greatly on this subject. But the three main bases of origin usually place it as a people from the East, as an original people from Italy or as a people who came from the border between Switzerland and Austria.

With great influence from the Greeks their mythological beliefs They had some deities of this culture, although with a change of name, but even so their beliefs were based more on rites and especially on fortune-tellers, being key figures in society Etruscan.

To continue this summary of the Etruscans in Spain we must talk about the main sources that we have on the possibility that this ancient people could be in Spain or could even found cities in the region.

For years, it was considered that the area of ​​influence of the Etruscans had only remained in the Italian region and the nearby islands. But a growing study emerging from the commercial elements found in the Iberian region seems to show that the presence of the Etruscans in the Spanish area It is much larger than was initially thought.

In their confrontation against the Greeks and Punics for the commercial conquest of the Mediterranean area, it seems clear that the Etruscans had to get to Spain to trade with the people of the area, being the reason why we have been able to find Etruscan products in the Spanish area.

According to most sources, the greater influence in the Iberian zone it must have been Greek, since the PhoeniciansThey had been creating Greek colonies in the area for years to improve trade between the peoples. This situation caused the Etruscans and Carthaginians joined on numerous occasions to confront the Greeks, to try to curb the growing commercial power of the Greeks, which was still a continuation of the common confrontations between the three peoples for control of the Mediterranean.

The arrival of the Etruscans in Spain It seems to be documented by certain sources that comment on the appearance of them on the Spanish coasts, some of which we have evidence of being Balearic Islands, the coasts of Gerona and Tarragona. All of them being areas quite close to the Etruscan territory and where it could be easily reached by navigation of the time.

After talking about the sources that allow us to know for sure the presence of the Etruscans in the region, we must talk about less reliable sources, but that we should also mention. According to Virgil texts, Aeneas after fleeing the fall of Troy is a refugee with the Teucrians, who are supposed to have become what we know as Etruscans over time.

Virgilio's story goes on to say that this town came to the area of ​​Galicia, and it is said that it was here where the ancestors of the Etruscans founded the city of Pontevedra, thanks to its Arriving at such a distant point in Europe we can understand the great importance of the Etruscans and their ability to navigation.