Cultural and socio-political development in south Etruria. : The Biedano region in the 5th to 1st centuries BC

Abstract: The town of Blera is situated in the southern parts of Etruria and has a history spanning more than 2,500 years. Its location between the two important Etruscan cities of Tarquinii and Caere has meant that Blera, for the entire Etruscan period (c. 750–50 BC), alternatively has found itself in either city’s sphere of interest. When Rome begins her expansion into Etruria, following the fall of the south Etruscan city of Veii in 396 BC, Blera is to be found in a conflict area between Tarquinii and Rome. The view of the Romanisation of Italy has shifted since the imperialistic interpretations of the early 20th century. According to this view, Roman culture and the Latin language were imposed on the native populations, considered part of an inevitable process. However, later scholarship has begun to question and challenge this view, developing alternative models for how to interpret the development. Rather than treating the Roman expansion on imperialistic grounds, it should be seen as a very complex political and social game, which in the end brought about the political unification of the Apennine peninsula under Rome. The driving mechanisms behind the development were the ambitions of Italy’s élite families. Their primary focus was to create and preserve power, influence, wealth and prestige for their own lineage. Their cities of origin, with belonging territories, became the tools with which they could achieve this. The consequence of this power struggle was that the city-states on the peninsula united in a federation, led by Rome. However, the creation of this new federal state did not immediately substitute the earlier local identities and cultures; the élite families of Etruria did not consider themselves “Roman”, because of their new alliances with Rome, but they could foresee that if they wanted to remain important and influential, Rome was the horse to bet on. The purpose of this thesis is to explore the cultural and socio-political development in the region where we find Blera when Rome and Tarquinii sought to expand their political influence. The main material groups studied for this thesis consist of the settlement types uncovered in earlier field surveys, tombs and necropoleis, the road network, epigraphic material, and the works of ancient authors.