Much of the evidence from the early Villanovan period (around 9th century B.C.) has been found in the Etruscan cemetary sites. In any culture, much information can be revealed from funerary remains and monuments including basic societal structures, art styles, wealth, and lifestyle. The Etruscans were no exception, and their necropoli provided a good amount of information for archaeologists.
The types of offerings found with the funerary the funerary urns (at this time, human remains were still being cremated) reflect the social status of the individual, and illustrate the social stratification of this period in Etruscan society. It was during this period that Etruscan society was have been egalitarian in structure, though labor was divided by gender. The men, for example, would have been the warriors, and the women would have been the homemakers.
During the 8th century B.C., greater wealth began to appear in Etruscan society, which led to the inevitable division of classes. This is demonstrated clearly in the quality of grave goods among different funerary remains. Among some, there were more extravagant goods, including metallic armor and daily goods.
It was around this time that the division of labor began to solidify as well. There were working classes made up of farmers, potters, and metal workers. This division of labor, as well as advances in technologies (carpentry, the potter’s wheel, ore extraction methods) that facilitated the amount and quality of production is what led to the boon of wealth for certain groups of Etruscans.
The societal shifts of the Etruscans were regional; different areas of the civilization advanced at different rates. The Central and Northern regions were slower to develop than Southern Etruria, which had larger population centers that had developed out of smaller settlements uniting and urbanizing.
Trade became a vital part of the Etruscan territory during the Villanovan period. When the Greeks colonized the Southern Italian coastal areas, the inevitable exchange of goods, knowledge, and resources began. Chief among the colonies that traded with the Etruscan centers was Pithekoussai (which colonized around 775 B.C.). It was a large commercial center that worked to serve the other Greek colonies as well as Southern Etruria.
Heading into the 8th century B.C., trade became lively and accounted for the continued stratification of Etruscan society. The vast mineral deposits throughout the regions of Etruria provided a great deal of material wealth to the higher Etruscan classes, but also served to make sea trade explode in Etruria.
As we can see, the Villanovan period was a turning point for the young Etruscan culture. Society began to stratify, wealth bloomed, and culture began to develop through the influence of the Greek settlers along the Southern Italian coast. In part 3, we will look at the Orientalizing period, where art and culture exploded, thanks to the influence of neighbors to the East.
Katika karne ya 9 KK, wakati wa utawala wa Villanueva, watu wa Roma walianza kuamini kwamba Mungu alikuwa amekuja. Mwili wa Etruscan Katika utamaduni wowote, habari nyingi zinaweza kufunuliwa kutoka kwa mabaki ya mazishi na makaburi ikiwa ni pamoja na miundo ya msingi ya kijamii, mitindo ya sanaa, utajiri, na mtindo wa maisha. Waetruria hawakuwa tofauti, na makaburi yao yalitokeza habari nyingi kwa wataalamu wa vitu vya kale. Aina ya matoleo yaliyopatikana na urns za mazishi (wakati huu, mabaki ya binadamu bado yalichomwa moto) yanaonyesha hadhi ya kijamii ya mtu, na kuelezea tabaka la kijamii la kipindi hiki katika jamii ya Etruscan. Ni wakati huu ambapo jamii ya Etruria ilikuwa na muundo wa usawa, ingawa kazi iligawanywa kwa jinsia. Kwa mfano, wanaume wangekuwa wapiganaji, na wanawake wangekuwa wakulima wa nyumbani. Katika karne ya 8 KK, utajiri mkubwa ulianza kuonekana katika jamii ya Etruria, ambayo ilisababisha mgawanyiko usioepukika wa madarasa. Hilo laonyeshwa waziwazi katika ubora wa vitu vya makaburi miongoni mwa mabaki tofauti-tofauti ya mazishi. Miongoni mwa baadhi ya bidhaa hizo kulikuwa na bidhaa za hali ya juu zaidi, kutia ndani mavazi ya chuma na bidhaa za kila siku. Ilikuwa karibu na wakati huu kwamba mgawanyiko wa kazi ulianza kuimarika pia. Kulikuwa na tabaka la wafanyakazi lililofanyizwa na wakulima, watengenezaji wa sufuria, na wafanyakazi wa chuma. Ugawaji huu wa kazi, pamoja na maendeleo katika teknolojia (ukanda, gurudumu la mfinyanzi, mbinu za uchimbaji madini) ambazo ziliwezesha kiasi na ubora wa uzalishaji ni nini kiliongoza kwa neema ya utajiri kwa vikundi fulani vya Etruscans. Mabadiliko ya kijamii ya Waetruria yalikuwa ya kikanda; maeneo tofauti-tofauti ya ustaarabu yaliendelea kwa viwango tofauti-tofauti. Etruria ya Kusini ilikuwa na idadi kubwa ya watu ambao walikuwa wamejengwa kutoka kwa makazi madogo ya kuungana na mijini. Biashara ikawa sehemu muhimu ya eneo la Waetruria wakati wa kipindi cha Villanovan. Wagiriki walipochukua maeneo ya pwani ya Italia Kusini, biashara ya bidhaa, maarifa, na rasilimali ilianza. Mji wa kwanza wa Etruria kuanzisha biashara na watu wa Etruria ulikuwa Pithekosai, ambayo ilianzishwa karibu 775 KK. Lilikuwa kituo kikubwa cha kibiashara kilichotumikia koloni nyingine za Ugiriki na vilevile Etruria ya Kusini. Katika karne ya 8 KK, biashara ilianza kuenea sana na kuendeleza jamii ya Waetruria. Madini mengi ya madini katika maeneo yote ya Etruria yalitokeza utajiri mkubwa kwa watu wa tabaka la juu la Etruria, lakini pia yalitokeza biashara ya baharini katika Etruria. Kama tunavyoona, kipindi cha Villanovan kilikuwa hatua ya kubadilisha kwa utamaduni mchanga wa Waetruria. Jamii ilianza kugawanyika, utajiri ukaongezeka, na utamaduni ukaanza kusitawi kwa sababu ya uvutano wa Wakristo waliokuwa wamehamia pwani ya kusini mwa Italia. Katika sehemu ya tatu, tutaangalia kipindi cha Orientalization, ambapo sanaa na utamaduni ulipuka, shukrani kwa ushawishi wa majirani wa Mashariki.