The historians relate that Tarquinius known as Priscus, i.e. the First, came t
o Rome from the noble city of Tarquinia, together with his wife Tanaquilla. Having won the esteem and trust of the Roman king Ancus Marcius, he inherited the reign on the latter's death. The story hints at a peaceful passage of Rome under Etruscan rule o
r influence. It is in any case quite natural that the Etruscans, present in Campania since the ninth century, should have felt the need to secure communications by land with their colonies, and any such route would necessarily have had to cross the river
Tiber at a point near the Tiber Island. The presence of Etruscans in Rome in the seventh century is documented by numerous archeological finds.
