Etruscans (was: minimal pairs)

Stanley Friesen sarima at friesen.net
Sat Jan 13 01:45:38 UTC 2001


At 12:00 PM 1/11/01 +0100, Eduard Selleslagh wrote:
>> Hmm, is there any other evidence for the Umbrians preceding the Etruscans
>> in Etruria?  If this is really what happened it tends to remove the main
>> objections to the Villanova Culture being associated with Italic speakers.

>> [It also fits with my ideas about the origin of the italic peoples: if I am
>> right than the earlier dates for the arrival of the Etruscans would also be
>> ruled out, leaving circa 8th to 6th c. B.C.].

>[Ed]
>Note that I wrote "it SEEMS..". I am not aware of other arguments.

>As a non-specialist, I am a bit surprised by your late date for the arrival of
>the Umbrians (P-Italic).

I am tentatively using a model that derives the Italics as a whole from the
southern portion of the Urnfield Complex, perhaps in two or three
waves.  This seems to me the best bet for the arrival of a "western" IE
language in Italia.  Most of the earlier candidates have various problems,
to my way of thinking.

Thus the various Italic groups would arrive circa 9th century B.C. in my model.

This also fits with the general tendency of tribal groups to move into
prime territories during "dark ages" such as the one following the near
simultaneous fall of Mykenean Greece, the Hittite Empire, and the empires
of the fertile crescent - in the 11th c. B.C.

--------------
May the peace of God be with you.         sarima at ix.netcom.com



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