Phersu: A masked man who performed blood sacrifices during Etruscan funeral games. He was the precursor to a Roman gladiator.
Princip/Principes: Etruscan aristocrats who held power to elect leaders and participate in government.
Pythia: A Greek prophetess known as the oracle of Delphi. She was inspired by the god Apollo and was reputed to make her utterances under the influence of hallucinogenic vapors emitted through a cleft in the earth.
Satyr: A male companion of the wine god Dionysus (Greek) or Fufluns (Etruscan) depicted with goat’s ears and tail and sometimes a goat’s phallus.
Sinus: The large fold of material in the front of a toga which could be used as a type of pocket.
Stola: A long, sleeveless, pleated dress worn over a tunic. It was fastened at the shoulders with fibulae and worn with two belts, one beneath the breasts, and the other around the waist.
Sibylline Books: A collection of holy books containing oracular utterances that were consulted by the Roman Senate in times of crisis. These were not prophecies but instead advice as to which expiation rites should be observed in order to avert calamity. The books were written in Greek and could only be interpreted by a select group of senators.
Tebenna: A rounded length of cloth worn by Etruscan men over a chiton. It was similar in appearance to a toga but shorter. The Roman toga was derived from this garment.
Thyrsus: A staff of giant fennel tipped with a pinecone and entwined with ivy, which was associated with the god Dionysus (Greek), Bacchus (Roman), and Fufluns (Etruscan).
Turma/Turmae: A cavalry squadron of thirty men that was split into groups of ten knights, each led by a decurion.
Zilath: Chief magistrate of an Etruscan city with similar authority to a Roman consul.
AUTHOR’S NOTE
The Etruscans have long absorbed me. I was inspired to write the Tales of Ancient Rome series when I chanced upon a photo of a sixth century BCE sarcophagus upon which a husband and wife were sculpted in a pose of affection. These lovers, known as “the Married Couple,” intrigued me. What ancient culture exalted marital fidelity with such open sensuality? The answer led me to Etruria and the story of the siege of Veii. This conflict raged for ten years between two cities that lay only twelve miles apart across the Tiber. Amazingly, the customs and beliefs of these enemies were so different that it was as though an expanse of water divided a Renaissance society from one living in the Dark Ages. Given this disparity, I was inspired to create a couple from these opposing worlds whose love must not only transcend war but also withstand the pressures of conflicting moralities, allegiances, and beliefs.
For those new to the series, you might like to read my author’s notes for The Wedding Shroud and The Golden Dice, in which I discuss topics such as the origins and religion of the Etruscans (including the Etruscan Discipline), bisexuality and pederasty, human sacrifice, and the status of women in Etruria and Rome (including information about prostitution and concubines). You can access these notes under the Learn More tab on my website, http://elisabethstorrs.com, together with pieces of research and photographs on my blog, Triclinium, at http://elisabethstorrs.com/category/blog/triclinium. An extended version of this note is also posted on my website.
The ancient sources I mainly consulted were accounts from Livy and Plutarch. Unfortunately, contemporaneous records of events in early Rome were destroyed centuries before these historians were born. As a result, they lacked the same access to primary sources that modern researchers do today. Furthermore, no extant body of Etruscan literature exists to enable us to judge the other side of the story. In effect, the conquerors of Etruria wrote about Etruscan history with all the prejudices of the victor over the vanquished.
The men of the Furii clan were patricians originating in Tusculum in Latium. The first to gain fame was Marcus Furius Camillus, who despite being wounded in the thigh, fought on against the Volsci at Mount Algidus. Lucius Furius Medullinus was also an esteemed general who historically had struggles with the Icilii clan.
Camillus, so called because he was a “camillus” altar boy, was named the second founder of Rome by Plutarch. Interestingly, he was five times chosen as dictator but never elected consul. Any intimate characteristics I’ve attributed to him are purely my own invention (as is his love affair with Pinna). Nevertheless, we know this general showed incredible political acumen, military innovation, bravery, and charisma. Plutarch praised him: “That even when the authority rightly belonged to him alone, it was exercised in common with others; while the glory that followed such exercise was his alone, even when he shared the command.” This humility clearly followed his downfall after the hubris displayed in his triumph after the conquest of Veii. Indeed, the need to retrieve the tithe to Apollo from the populace caused vitriolic resentment. This escalated when the question arose as to whether the plebeians should remove themselves to Veii, leaving the patricians in Rome. Camillus strenuously opposed this, claiming that such a geographical division would lead to the demise of the Republic. As a result, he was temporarily exiled despite immunity from prosecution usually afforded to dictators for decisions made in office.
Camillus’s tears upon seeing the enormity of his victory are reported, as is his plea to Jupiter that he should, if necessary, suffer retribution instead of Rome. However, his consequent small stumble was considered by Livy as “an omen of his [Camillus’s] subsequent condemnation and capture of Rome [by the Gauls], a disaster which occurred a few years later.”
The mystery of Lake Albanus forms an integral part of the legend, as does the betrayal by the anonymous Veientane soothsayer. The decrypted omen seems obscure, but the assistance Rome offered to its Latin allies to irrigate their land makes sense as a stepping-stone to conquest. The renewed support of the Latin League would have boosted manpower at a time when continuing warfare with the Volsci and Aequi was diverting Rome’s resources from Veii. Given this, the rationale of gaining advantage by placating the Latin goddess, Mater Matuta, is also feasible. Accordingly, the idea that Pinna, a girl with origins in Latium, could convince her lover of the deity’s power was irresistible.