Before the rise of the Roman republic, the city states of the Etruscan civilization, based in west-central Italy in an area roughly covering modern Tuscany, flourished from about the 8th to the 4th century BC. Recent archaeological findings combined with a clearer understanding of Etruscan inscriptions gives us the first full account of the Etruscan people and their society. 54 photos. 40 figures. 21 maps.