This virtual Salon lecture was originally presented on July 14, 8 p.m.
"The Etruscans: An Investigation of their Mysterious Origins, Religion and Culture" with Dr. James Rietveld.
The Etruscans dominated the Italian Peninsula from 900 to 300 BCE, when they were effectively conquered by the Romans, but, in so doing, the Romans, being the consistent utilitarian society that they were, absorbed much of their religion, culture, and technology on the latter, for example, the use of the arch, quick-drying cement, and raised aqueducts.
But, much of the identity of who the Etruscans were continues to be shrouded in mystery, with their culture and religion a strange mixture of elements arising from Crete, Asia Minor, Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Greece.
Most of their language is still not deciphered, but, while written in Greek script, we do know it is not Indo-European, and so arising from people before the patristic Indo-Europeans migrated into Europe and West Asia.
The Etruscan religion was highly animistic, with their rituals of reading signs in the sky and through the entrails of animals preserved by the Romans. Unlike the Romans, women appeared to share in the very same power positions as men, participating in a culture that by all intents and purposes was egalitarian. Greeks and Romans claimed Etruscan society was devoted to luxury, debauchery, and sexual orgies.
In this fascinating lecture, Dr. Rietveld will fully explore this ancient culture, explaining their origins, detail out their specific religious beliefs (with specific rituals and their gods and goddesses), and discuss evidence concerning the role of Etruscan women. As always, he will refer to primary source information and the very latest archaeological evidence.
Dr. Rietveld is a professor at California State University, Fullerton, CA and Cal Poly, Pomona, CA of History, Anthropology and Religion. His specialties include the History of Christianity in the Early, Medieval and Byzantine periods, New Testament Studies and Greco-Roman religions. He received his PHD from Claremont School of Religion and is the author of two books.
To view our past and forthcoming online lecture offerings by Dr. Rietveld visit and join us for the presentations:
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