Twenty years ago, studying the Etruscans in a British or American university entailed a very long reading list in Italian and a very short reading list in English, especially of accessible introductory surveys. Now, Anglo-American students undertaking research on the Etruscans face the opposite dilemma: how to choose amongst the explosion of recent books - both monographs [1] and edited handbooks, sourcebooks, and companions [2] - that have appeared in English since then, especially within the last two decades. Remarkably, there is even more still to come, in the form of not only forthcoming books [3] but also a monumental exhibition in the USA next year. [4] All of this academic interest continues to be spurred by spectacular and highly-publicized discoveries, especially by Italian archaeologists, such as the cache of 24 bronze statues found last year in the excavations at the ancient spa in San Casciano dei Bagni, near Siena.

Unlike the recent works referenced above, the book by Luciana Aigner-Foresti under review here is not written in English. However, its abbreviated format situates it within the same publication niche and broader cultural moment as works by the author's peers, especially C. Smith's (2014) book in the "Very Short Introduction" series at Oxford, L. Shipley's (2017) book for the "Lost Civilizations" series at Reaktion, or C. Riva's (2021) book in the "Short Histories" at Bloomsbury. Whether attention spans are getting shorter (even in Germany) or press budgets are diminishing (or both), single-authored books about the Etruscans are getting ever smaller even as our knowledge about them grows and the questions that they provoke expand in scope. [5] Be that as it may, it is highly salutary to witness publishers catering to this flourishing of interest in this important ancient Italic people, who were best known in antiquity for their "mysterious" origins, unconventional social customs (especially their "liberated" women), and religious devotion.

Aigner-Foresti is a well-respected scholar of the Etruscans, and her second monograph [6] about them demonstrates an impressive ability to traverse a wide arc of history, space, and time within a relatively small compass (245 pages). But unlike her previous Die Etrusker und das frühe Rom (2003), this work - in the "Geschichte in Wissenschaft und Forschung" series - is about the Etruscans and their "Erbe" ("heritage" or "legacy"). Her central aim is to provide "an overview of the historical-political development of the Etruscans as a whole and not of the individual Etruscan cultures" (7). Such a history is necessary, she argues, since "too little attention is paid to a coherent view of Etruscan research in comparison to object-related and art-historical perspectives" (7). Aigner-Foresti is surely correct that some specialized studies (e.g., art historical studies of tomb paintings) treat their subjects as "isolated from their historical context" (7), and a synthetic account of discoveries yielded by research and excavation over the last two decades (her stated remit) is a highly welcome project. At the same time, I find it highly curious that the author makes no reference to the synthetic histories of Shipley, Smith, or Riva, especially as the latter two treat - at great length and with much sophistication - the two subjects that dominate her own account: state formation and urbanization.

Aigner-Foresti realizes her ambitious remit through an introduction and eight chapters. The introductory chapter sums up the Etruscans' historical development, the history of their study, the major sources of evidence and research problems about them, and the methods of their study. Chapter 1 looks at Etruria's borders and geographical features. Chapter 2 surveys the early communities in southern Etruria during the second half of the second millennium. Chapter 3 looks at the formation of an Etruscan "identity," especially their name(s) and language. Chapter 4 maps out developments from the ninth century onwards, including their contacts with the Greeks and Phoenicians, the Etruscan elite, the rise of a "middle class," and the structure and society of a city. Chapter 5 treats Etruscan spheres of influence in Italy, including commercial activity and military conflicts. Chapter 6 chronicles the struggle of the Etruscans against Rome during the fifth to second centuries. Chapter 7 reviews socio-political developments in the Etruscan states since the middle of the fourth century, including its demographic and cultural decline. And Chapter 8 considers the integration and legacy of the Etruscans, such as the issue of citizenship, the person of Maecenas [7], and the "afterlife" of various Etruscan traditions within a Roman imperial context. The book closes with a lengthy section of supplementary documentation: 50 pages of footnotes, bibliography, abbreviations, and a key to the one map and 20 black-and-white sketches.

In summary, Luciana Aigner-Foresti's new history of the Etruscans is a considerable accomplishment: her methodology is admirably skeptical and wisely cautious; her research builds on her own autopsy of materials in museums and sites, and integrates the latest findings from the range of relevant disciplines (ancient texts, inscriptions, and archaeological discoveries); her narrative surveys the full, broad sweep of their history but is punctuated with anecdotal evidence (e.g. grave stele, inscribed tablets) that make them come alive as individuals; and finally, her text is written in lucid prose, which makes it highly accessible to a general reading public. In short, this book is the culmination of a lifetime of research devoted to these fascinating ancient people, whom we are now one (large) step closer to understanding thanks to the author's highly valuable study.

Notes:

[1] For instance, S. Haynes: Etruscan Civilization: A Cultural History, Malibu 2005; C. Smith: The Etruscans. A Very Short Introduction, Oxford 2014; C. Riva: A Short History of the Etruscans, London 2021; L. Bonfante: Images and Translations. The Etruscans Abroad, Ann Arbor 2023. See also the "Cities and Communities of the Etruscans" series published by the University of Texas Press, including studies of Arretium (Arezzo), Caere, Cetamura del Chianti, Kainua (Marzabotto), Poggio Civitate (Murlo), and Veii.

[2] J. M. Turfa (ed.): The Etruscan World, London 2013; S. Bell / A. Carpino (eds.): A Companion to the Etruscans, Malden, Mass. 2016; A. Naso (ed.): Etruscology, 2 vols., Berlin 2017. See also contributions about the Etruscans in, among others: G. D. Farney / G. Bradley (eds.): The Peoples of Ancient Italy, Berlin 2017; K. McDonald: Italy Before Rome: A Sourcebook, London 2021; M. Maiuro (ed.): The Oxford Handbook of Pre-Roman Italy (1000-49 BCE), Oxford 2024.

[3] C. Lyons (ed.): Etruscan and Italic Art in the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA 2025; M. Forte (ed.): Etruscan Archaeology: Techniques and Methods, Oxford 2025; D. Maras (ed.): The Oxford Handbook of the Etruscans. Oxford Forthcoming.

[4] An exhibition on the Etruscans ("The Etruscans: From the Heart of Ancient Italy") will open at The Legion of Honor, Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, in May 2026.

[5] Cf. C. R. Potts / C. J. Smith: The Etruscans: Setting New Agendas, in: Journal of Archaeological Research 30 (2022), 597-644. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10814-021-09169-x .

[6] L. Aigner-Foresti: Die Etrusker und das frühe Rom, Darmstadt 2003.

[7] See also now: E. Gowers: Rome's Patron: The Lives and Afterlives of Maecenas, Princeton, N.J. 2024.

Sinclair Bell