Page:Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition, v. 8.djvu/659

Rh E T R U It I A 635 common among coast towns in early times (Strabo, v. 220) ; and it is a proof both of her advancement in civilization and of her reputation among the Greeks that she had a treasury at Delphi, where it was known as the treasury of Agylla, such having been the original name of the city. How the change of name arose is accounted for (Strabo, v. 220) with the ingenuity characteristic of ancient deriva tions. Agylla had been founded by Pelasgians from Thes- saly, but was afterwards captured by the Tyrrhenians from Lydia (cf. jtEneid, v. 479), who, having enquired the name of the town they were besieging, and having been answered by some one from the walls with a word which they took to be the Greek x a ^P &amp;gt; adopted this us the new name of the city. Herodotus (i. 1G7) speaks of it as Agylla, and relates how it joined the Carthaginians against the Phocneans of Alulia in Corsica (ab.ut 534 B.C.). and, having carried away its share of the booty and of the prisoners, put the latter to death. Upon this followed a plague, as to which the Agylla: ans consulted the oracle at Delphi, and were told iu reply that the way to appease the Phocreans would be to institute public festivals of athletic games and horse-racing. The sea-port was Pyrgi, cele brated also for the wealth of its temple of Eileithyia, which Dionysius, the tyrant of Syracuse, ransacked (384 B.C.), taking from it 1000 talents, and spoils to the value of 500 talents more. As evidence of the high antiquity of the arts in Ctere, there is the statement of Pliny (xxxv. 4-6) that paintings existed there older than the foundation of Rome. It was said to have been the last refuge of the Tarquins, and in confirmation of this is the modern dis covery of a large sepulchre belonging to a family of that name, as seen from the numerous inscriptions iu it. Little remains except tumuli and sepulchres, among which the most famous is that known as the Regulini-Galassi tomb, the masonry of which is Pelasgic in character. Falorii. In close political relationship to Veii, and probably reckoned as one of the twelve cities, though its population (theFalisci) was not purely Etruscan, was Falerii, originally on a high bare rock, bat afterwards under Roman compulsion transferred to the broad plain which stretches to the Tiber, the yEquum Faliscum as it was called, to indicate the plain, not the justice of the people. The very ancient Fescenuium seems to have been included in its territory. Trusting in its natural strength, Falerii vainly made light of the Roman siege conducted by Camillus (391 B.C.). It was on this occasion, as told by Livy (v. 27), that an official of Falerii, to whom was entrusted the education of the sons of the better class, led his pupils outside the city for their exercises as in times of peace, and by daily increasing the distance of their walks avoided suspicion, till at last he reached the Roman camp and offered to surrender the boys to Camillus, who, indignant at the treachery of the man, ordered him to be stripped, bound, and handed over to his pupils to be led back and punished. The habit of appoint ing an official of this kind is spoken of as a Greek one, and, in connexion with the legendary foundation of Falerii by Halesus or Haliscus, a son of Agamemnon, together with the fact of its temple of Juno being the counterpart of the temple of that goddess at Argos, is taken as evidence of a strong Greek element in the town. Strabo (v. 226) quotes the opinion of some that the Falisci were not Tyrrhenians, but a distinct nationality, Volci. One of the twelve cities also was Void (Vulci) ap parently, though the historical notices of it are but few, and leave no impression of any great power. Yet its remains, as discovered in numerous sepulchres, show that it must have been an important city. Of these the tumulus of Cucumella, as it is now called, is remarkable not only for its size (200 feet in diameter, and 40 to 50 feet high still), but also for its general similarity to the tomb of Porsena at Clusium, of wLich we have only the description as quoted by Pliny (xxxvi. 13, 19), and to the tomb of Alyattes in Lydia. Up to 1830 this tomb at Vulci was encircled round the base with a massive wall, which is now gone. In the heart of the mound were discovered two loosely built towers, one of them square, the other conical, which perhaps may be fairly compared with the pillars in the tomb of Porsena and the ovpoi in that of Alyattes. From the other sepulchres of Yulci has been obtained a vast number of antiquities, not a few of which are of the first importance for the history of art in Etrurui, and will be afterwards referred to. Volsinii, called by the Volsinii. Etruscans Felsuna, as appears from its coinage, and now Bulsena, was one of the most powerful and warlike of the Etruscan states. The original site, it has been thought, was at Orvieto, which the Romans after a long and arduous siege destroyed, compelling the Volsinii to settle on the low ground at Bolsena. Clusium (Chiusi), originally Camars Clusium. (Livy, x. 25), had been founded by the Umbrians, but became one of the principal cities of Etruria, being apparently at the height of its fame under the rule of its king Porsena, who to reinstate Tarquinius Priscus made that march to Rome (505 B.C.) with which are associated the undying legends of Roman heroism in the persons of Horatius, Scjevola, Cloelia, and Publicola (Livy, ii. 11-13). Before this we find Clusium joined with other Etruscan cities on the side of the Latins againsb Tarquinius Priscus. Afterwards it was the assistance given by Rome to Clusium which drew down the Gauls on the former in 389 B.C. At the close of the second Punic war Clusium furnished corn and fir for ship-building to the Roman fleet. Mention has been made of the tomb of Porsena said to have existed at Clusium. In one place labyrinthine passages have been found among the tombs, such as appear to correspond to one of the features in the description of that sepulchre. Arrelium (Arezzo) was one of the twelve cities, but famous Arretium chiefly in comparatively recent times. In 301 B.C. the citizens rose against the tyranny of their great family, the Cilnii, and drove them to exile in Rome, where their cause was taken up with this practical result, that a Roman army defeated the Arretines at Russellse. Afterwards the city joined in league with theGauls and Umbrians against Rome, but again was defeated. Next it was besieged by the Gauls. There is no record of its final submission to Rome. Iu the second Punic war it furnished corn, implements, and material of war for the Roman fleet. During the civil wars it took the side of Marius, and would in consequence have lost all rights but for the intercession of Cicero. Tie present site does not appear to be that of the ancient town. Of its walls, which were said to have been built of brick, there is no trace. Conspiciious still for its stupendous walls and towers, commanding a high bare rock, is Coriona, Cortona. where everything that remains is in harmony with the tra dition of its extraordinary antiquity. Of other records there are scarcely any. Like Perusia (Perugia) it had Perusi*. once been an Umbrian city, and like it also one of the twelve states of Etruria. Parts of the walls of Perusia remain, and many objects of great interest have been found on its site, none more precious, however, than the &quot; Cippus of Perugia,&quot; with its long Etruscan inscription. Perusia 1 comes first into notice arrayed against Fabius, who com pelled her to sue for peace. In the following year she was again at war, and shared in the disaster at the Yadi- monian lake. Other defeats followed, but not even that in which Fabius slew 4500 of her men, and took 1740 prisoners, was siifficient to reduce her to obedience to Rome, though that event followed not long after. In the second Punic war she supplied corn and fir to the Roman fleet. In the civil wars she took an active part, and when besieged by Octavius Citsar yielded only to famine. A great fire