\f1 \fs22 The literary and artistic culture of the Etruscans was initially deeply influenced by o
ther, more highly evolved peoples of the Mediterranean, especially the Phoenicians and Greeks. Subsequently Etruscan artists proved capable of reworking the forms and styles borrowed from elsewhere to develop a language of their own. In other fields, how
ever, they were more independent and original. One of these was music, for which they had a great love. It was performed on numerous wind and string instruments. Indeed the Etruscans were often considered to have been their inventors. Other very popular
arts were dance and drama. It also seems that the famous gladiatorial games originated in the Etruscan colony of Capua in Campania, from where they were <<exported>> to Rome.\par