2500 years ago in the north-west of the Apennine Peninsula there was a developed Etruscan civilization, which preceded the Roman one and had a huge influence on it. Suffice it to say that the symbol of Rome - the bronze Capitoline wolf - was made in Etruria (the territory of modern Tuscany). Archaeological data do not allow us to resolve the question of the homeland of the Etruscans. Back in the 5th century. BC e. “the father of history” Herodotus pointed to their eastern origin. According to the legend set forth by Herodotus, the Etruscans were descendants of the Lydians, some of whom were forced to leave Asia Minor, where famine was raging, and go overseas. A contemporary of Herodotus, Hellanicus of Lesbos, saw in the Etruscans the pre-Greek population of Hellas. The Greek rhetorician of the Augustan era, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, considered them to be the indigenous inhabitants of Italy. Disputes about the origin of the Etruscans have continued for centuries: the problem is complicated by the fact that the language of Etruscan inscriptions is still not understood by researchers. The proposed book talks about the culture, government structure, life of ancient tribes and the work of scientists studying the history of Etruria. CONTENTS: PART I. DISCOVERIES ON THE TERRITORY OF ANCIENT ITALY 9Joyful music of life 37PART II. IDYLL IN ETRUSIAN HISTORY 45Rich finds in Tuscany 71PART III. RHYTHMS AND PLEASURES OF FAST LIFE 83Houses for a different life 109PART IV. THE DARK SECRET OF A PROUD PEOPLE 119The Beginning of Restoration of Past Splendor 147Bibliography 161Index 164