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On the Etruscans

A dialog from the ANE list
October 1997

If I am not mistaken Claudius was one of the last people to fluently read, write, and speak the etruscan language, he actually wrote a small history of the etruscans who where already clouded in mystery by the early roman empire. I am not aware that the etruscan language and writing is fully understood today. I am in agreement with those who state that the latin language is not at all related to either greek or etruscan. The Latins are an old race that at one time was under the rule of the foreign, and more advanced etruscans. Thus. Latin may very well have incorporated some etruscan words into their own vocab.

When the etruscans where in power rome was a small village of sheep herders who spoke an extreme base form of latin. greek and etruscan certainly did add to their vocab. but latin did not Grow, if you will from those languages.

I would also like to take this time to say greetings. I am new to this list so forgive me if I am speaking on an old topic....

I am an Ancient History Grad. with Emphasis on Roman and Greek. I also tutor latin. I have recently been reading Cassius Dio's history of rome. And he talks of the pre-history of the latins, and the etruscan conquerors from the north.

Gratias!!!

Christopher L Welsh
power2@flash.net

On Thu, 30 Oct 1997, Christoph L. Welsh wrote:

on the etruscans. If I am not mistaken Claudius was one of the last people to fluently read,write, and speak the etruscan language, he actually wrote a small history of the etruscans who where already clouded in mystery by the early roman empire. I am not aware that the etruscan language and writing is fully understood today. I am in agreement with those who state that the latin language is not at all related to either greek or etruscan. The Latins are an old race that at one time was under the rule of the foreign, and more advanced etruscans. Thus. Latin may very well have incorporated some etruscan words into their own vocab.

Yes. They were called Tursi/Tusci by Romans and called themselves Rasenna. The word /ril/ meant age, /klan/ meant boy and /tular/ meant boundary stone. Just as a joke take Tursi/Tusci to mean Turk and Rasenna to mean Asena. Then in l~r Turkic /ril/ is /zash/ (which is jash ie..age), and /tular/ is /tushar/ (and tash is stone) not to mention that /duvar/ is wall, and furthermoe /klan/ (i.e clan) is probably from /uklan/ (i.e. oghlan, boy).

And then there's Fritze Hintze with his paper on Nilo-Saharan, Dravidian and Turkish and Dr. Tuna with his book of 16 regular sound changes and about 200 word between Sumerian and Eastern Turkic, and finally about 4 mountains in Europe with the word /tau/ in them (mountain in Turk). Kassite (kishi) king with the name /khara hardash/. That's like finding "President Clinton" inscribed on stone.