Ancient Civilizations Etruscans introduces students to an ancient civilization shrouded in mystery and its people, the Etruscans. Although, to date, no manuscripts have been discovered and scholars have had little success in translating the Etruscan alphabet, archaeological discoveries have uncovered a multitude of artifacts that offer insights into their daily lives.

The Etruscans can be shown to have made significant, and in some cases perhaps the first, technical advances in the central and northern Mediterranean. To the Etruscan people we can attribute such developments as the tie-beam truss in large wooden structures, surveying and engineering drainage and water tunnels, the development of the foresail for fast long-distance sailing vessels, fine techniques of metal production and other pyrotechnology, post-mortem C-sections in medicine, and more. In art, many technical and iconographic developments, although they certainly happened first in Greece or the Near East, are first seen in extant Etruscan works, preserved in the lavish tombs and goods of Etruscan aristocrats. These include early portraiture, the first full-length painted portrait, the first perspective view of a human figure in monumental art, specialized techniques of bronze-casting, and reduction-fired pottery (the bucchero phenomenon). Etruscan contacts, through trade, treaty and intermarriage, linked their culture with Sardinia, Corsica and Sicily, with the Italic tribes of the peninsula, and with the Near Eastern kingdoms, Greece and the Greek colonial world, Iberia, Gaul and the Punic network of North Africa, and influenced the cultures of northern Europe. In the past fifteen years striking advances have been made in scholarship and research techniques for Etruscan Studies. Archaeological and scientific discoveries have changed our picture of the Etruscans and furnished us with new, specialized information. Thanks to the work of dozens of international scholars, it is now possible to discuss topics of interest that could never before be researched, such as Etruscan mining and metallurgy, textile production, foods and agriculture. In this volume, over 60 experts provide insights into all these aspects of Etruscan culture, and more, with many contributions available in English for the first time to allow the reader access to research that may not otherwise be available to them. Lavishly illustrated, The Etruscan World brings to life the culture and material past of the Etruscans and highlights key points of development in research, making it essential reading for researchers, academics and students of this fascinating civilization.

Learn about the citizens, politics, daily life, food, music, drama, sports, literature, architecture, fashion, medicine and more! In comparing this fascinating civilization to the present day, students will develop an appreciation for the enormous contributions ancient Romans made to modern life. Innovative group and individual projects engage students in investigations about military strategy, superstitions, the marketplace, Roman cuisine and much more! Unique source materials add to the wealth of information included in this outstanding resource!

"The Romans" (500 B.C.—500 A.D.) provides an overview of the dramatic growth of Rome from a tiny agricultural village on the banks of the Tiber to an empire of several million square miles—the largest in the history of the world. Special emphasis is given to the sociology of life in Ancient Rome—the lives of ordinary women, children, families, and soldiers—as well as to the great political, cultural, and intellectual achievements which shaped the course of the Western world. The rise of Christianity, the lives of the emperors, as well as the internal and external conflicts which led to Rome's decline are all vividly documented in this richly illustrated text. Challenging map exercises and provocative review questions encourage meaningful reflection and historical analysis. Tests and answer keys are included.

This handbook has two purposes: it is intended (1) as a handbook of Etruscology or Etruscan Studies, offering a state-of-the-art and comprehensive overview of the history of the discipline and its development, and (2) it serves as an authoritative reference work representing the current state of knowledge on Etruscan civilization. The organization of the volume reflects this dual purpose. The first part of the volume is dedicated to methodology and leading themes in current research, organized thematically, whereas the second part offers a diachronic account of Etruscan history, culture, religion, art & archaeology, and social and political relations and structures, as well as a systematic treatment of the topography of the Etruscan civilization and sphere of influence. 

Assembled by the father of modern art history, this landmark 1767 publication features more than 200 fine engravings. Its fascinating panorama of images from classical civilizations includes informative text and captions.