Historical Overview Section

The Etruscan state government was essentially a theocracy. The government was viewed as being a central authority, over all tribal and clan organizations. It retained the power of life and death; in fact, the gorgon, an ancient symbol of that power, appears as a motif in Etruscan decoration. The adherents to this state power were united by a common religion. Political unity in Etruscan society was the city-state, which was probably the referent of methlum, “district”. Etruscan texts name quite a number of magistrates, without much of a hint as to their function: the camthi, the parnich, the purth, the tamera, the macstrev, and so on. The people were the mech. The chief ruler of a methlum was perhaps a zilach, earlier times also lucumo (laukum), a sacral monarch (the infinitive of verb "to rule" is lucair).

All the city-states of the Etruscans were gathered into confederacies, or “leagues”. The sources tell us there were three. A league for unknown reasons, likely religious, had to include 12 city-states. The word for league was mech rasnal. Once a year the states met at a fanu, or sacred place (Latin fanum) to discuss military and political affairs, and also to choose a head of confederation, zilath mechl rasnal, who held the office for one year. The Etrurian confederacy met at the fanum Voltumnae, the "shrine of Voltumna". Their league was called the “duodecim populi Etruriae” or the “twelve peoples of Etruria”.

The relationship between Rome and the Etruscans was not one of an outsider conquering a foreign people. The Etruscans considered Rome as one of their cities, perhaps originally in the Latian/Campanian league. It is entirely possible that the Tarquins appealed to Lars Porsena of Clusium (Clevsin), because he was the head of the Etrurian commomwealth for that year. He would have been obliged to help the Tarquins whether he liked it or not.

The Romans attacked and annexed individual cities between 510 and 290 BC. This apparent disunity of the Etruscans was probably regarded as internal dissent by the Etruscans themselves. For example, after the sack of Rome by the Gauls, the Romans debated whether to move the city en masse to Veii, which they could not even have considered if Veii was thought to be a foreign people. Eventually Rome created treaties individually with the Etruscan states, rather than the whole. But by that time the league had fallen into disuse, due to the permanent hegemony of Rome and increasing assimilation of Etruscan civilization to it, which was a natural outcome, as Roman civilization was to a large degree Etruscan.

Using the army in ADLG

  • Upgrade all of the upgradeable troops, and consider maximising LI as the rest of the army is a little weak
  • hint 2

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Army Lists

Sample army lists for this army
48 Etruscan v4 Devonian Classic
Brilliant
2 Guardsmen Heavy swordsmen armour 2HW
1 1st Class Hoplites Heavy spearmen armour
1 2nd Class Hoplites Heavy swordsmen impact
1 2nd Class Hoplites Heavy spearmen
1 Velites Light infantry javelin
2 Velites Light infantry bow
1 Conscripted latins Levy
==
Competent
2 Nobles Medium cavalry ------
2 1st Class Hoplites Heavy spearmen armour ------
3 2nd Class Hoplites Heavy spearmen ------
1 Velites Light infantry sling ------
1 Velites Light infantry javelin ----
1 2nd Class Hoplites Heavy spearmen Mediocre
==
Competent Samnite Ally
1 Horsemen Medium cavalry ------
4 Warriors Medium swordsmen impact Elite
2 Velites Light infantry javelin ------
48 Etruscan (Fortified Camp) Folorn Hope
Brilliant
1 Nobles Light chariot Elite
1 Nobles Light Chariot
2 Guard Heavy spearmen armour Elite
4 Other hoplites Heavy spearmen Mediocre
==
Competent
3 1st-class hoplites Heavy spearmen armour ------
3 Other hoplites Heavy spearmen Mediocre
3 LI Light infantry javelin ------
==
Samnite Ally Competent
1 Horse Medium cavalry
3 Samnites warriors Medium swordsmen impact Elite
3 Samnite warriors Medium swordsmen impact ----

200 Points (29 elements, initiative 2)

  • Corps 1 - General brilliant (6)

1 Guardmen : Heavy spearmen armor elite (12)
3 "1st class" hoplites : Heavy spearmen armor (30)
6 others classes hoplites : Heavy spearmen mediocre (36)
2 LI javelin (8)
2 LI sling (8)
3 MC (21)

  • Corps 2 - General ordinary included (-3)

2 MC elite (18)

  • Corps 3 - Gallic ally - General brilliant (3)

4 Gallic warriors : MI impetuous (28)
3 MC (21)
1 LI javelin (4)
1 LH javelin (6)
1 Hordes mediocre (2)