Etruria

Cultural development came later to Italy than to the Aegean area. The Greeks colonized southern Italy and Sicily from the later 7th century BC, but it was the Etruscans who introduced a high standard of civilization, in the previous century, to the central region of the peninsula. They called themselves the Rasenna (though in Latin they were known as the Etrusci or Tusci). It is believed that they may have emigrated from Anatolia or possibly from farther east. They quickly developed their culture in their new land and, soon after 700 BC, they were living in an urban society capable of a high standard of building and visual arts. In dress, as in the other applied arts, they drew their inspiration and knowledge from a mixture of sources, chiefly Greek and Oriental.
Etruscan society appears to have had more in common with the Minoan culture than with that of Classical Greece. This was true, for example, of the position of women. Unlike the custom in Greece and Rome, where women were relegated to a submissive, domestic role, in Etruria women shared all the activities of life with men. The wealth of pictorial evidence that exists, chiefly the coloured frescoes and sculpture found in the great burial places such as the necropolis at Tarquinia, depicts women taking full part at banquets, dances, and concerts as well as attending racing, athletic, and other types of contests. These sources also indicate a close affinity of dress with the Minoan, illustrating sewn, fitted garments, bright colouring, rich decoration, and an abundance of beautiful jewelry—a craft at which the Etruscans excelled, especially in gold. Nevertheless, Etruscan dress, for both sexes, demonstrates a marriage between East and West, blending Eastern features from Egypt, Syria, and Crete with a later Ionian-style draped attire probably derived from the contemporary Greek colonists in southern Italy. Thus, Etruscans can be seen wearing both draped, pinned tunics and fitted, sewn ones, or such Greek styles as the chlamys, himation, or chiton in conjunction with footwear with Middle Eastern-style turned-up toes. Some Etruscan garments presaged later styles; for example, the tebenna, a semicircular mantle, was an early version of the Roman toga, and a decorative collar derived from Egypt anticipated a later Byzantine version.


Etruscan musicians wearing tunics, cloaks similar to the Greek chlamys, and sandals. Detail from a … Scala/Art Resource, New York City