A Paradigm Shift in the Investigation of Etruscan Former Townscapes: A View from Veii

Urbanized societies have been characteristic of most of the Mediterranean region from at least the latter part of the fourth millennium bce in the Levant, from around 2000 bce in the Aegean, and for the last two and a half millennia in the rest of the Mediterranean area. In Roman times, there were as many as 430 known urban centers dotted across the whole of the Italian Peninsula, around a third of them displaying substantial evidence that they were once inhabited by Etruscans to one extent or another. According to legend, among the most important cities an alliance was formed between 600 bce and 500 bce by twelve Etruscan towns, the so-called Etruscan League, Etruscan Federation, or Dodecapolis. Etruscan culture flourished within cities and in confederacies of cities; indeed, Etruscan civilization was from the outset primarily urban based.