The Etruscans are known to us through the remains of their cities but mainly from their cemeteries. From the 7th century BC onwards large chamber tombs were built in the main cities of southern Etruria. Etruscan tombs were a place of mourning, but also of celebration.
The core area in which Etruscan civilization developed was the stretch of land between the rivers Tiber and Arno. Twelve major cities formed the Etruscan League, with a shared religious centre.
By 500 BC, at the height of their power, the Etruscans had expanded their dominion over a large part of the Italian peninsula. They were a great maritime power, with ports on both the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic Seas. Their sphere of influence extended from northern Africa, Corsica and Sardinia, to southern France.
Etruscan products reached an even wider area, including Egypt, Turkey, Germany and Spain. Metals were central to the economic development of the Etruscans as was agriculture in the rich lands of central Italy.
