Join Dr. Michael Seaman, Associate Professor of Classical Studies and Italian Studies at DePauw University, for a look at the ancient Etruscan civilization and its influence on Cortona, Carmel's Italian sister city.
One of Europe’s earliest advanced civilizations flourished in the area of Tuscany and beyond beginning nearly 3,000 years ago. At their peak, they formed a formidable confederacy of twelve powerful cities and even took over the growing city of Rome during its early history. The Etruscans built impressive hilltop cities, created beautiful art, and developed a large body of literature, written in their language, which today is only partially understood. They traded and battled with Celts to the north and Greeks in southern Italy, and even disputed with the Carthaginians for mastery of the western Mediterranean Sea before succumbing to Roman rule in the fourth century BC when the destiny of Italy passed forever out of their hands.
The city of Cortona, today a sister city of Carmel, was a member of the Etruscan League and an important Etruscan city due to its strategic position commanding the surrounding territory. After surviving attacks by Hannibal and later the Goths, Cortona was frequently racked by violence in the Middle Ages. However, it still preserves its charming medieval character. The city is celebrated today above all for its Etruscan history, its ancient walls that include a 4th century BC gate, its wonderfully preserved Etruscan artifacts now kept in the local archaeological museum, several medieval and Renaissance palazzi and works of art, and its most famous citizens, Saint Margaret of Cortona and the Renaissance and Baroque artists Luca Signorelli and Pietro da Cortona. More recently, Cortona and the nearby Villa Bramasole were the setting for the 2003 film Under the Tuscan Sun, which was based on author Frances Mayes' 1996 best-selling memoir.
No registration required.
