Etruscan Time unveils the mysteries of the Etruscan calendar, a sophisticated timekeeping system in pre-Roman Italy that significantly influenced the Roman calendar. The book explores how the Etruscans managed time through a lunar-solar calendar, integrating festival cycles and methods for tracking time's passage. It challenges the traditional view that Roman timekeeping was wholly original, demonstrating instead a cultural inheritance enriched over centuries. Intriguingly, the Etruscans, who flourished from roughly 900 to 27 BC, left a fragmented legacy that requires piecing together archaeological evidence and comparative analysis with other ancient calendars.
The book initially introduces the basic principles of ancient calendars and the challenges of reconciling lunar and solar cycles. Subsequent chapters delve into the structure of the Etruscan year, examining the names and sequence of months, the connection between the calendar and religious festivals, and the mechanisms of timekeeping. This approach reveals how specific dates held importance in Etruscan religious practices, offering insights into their cultural and intellectual landscape.
The book culminates in a detailed analysis of the Etruscan calendar's influence on the early Roman calendar, highlighting elements demonstrably adopted or adapted, thus underscoring the Etruscans' lasting impact on world history.
