Etruscology

Etruscology is an academic subdiscipline of the field of Classics. It is the study of the ancient Italian civilization of the Etruscans, which was incorporated into an expanding Roman Empire during the period of Rome's Middle Republic. Since the Etruscans were politically and culturally influential in pre-Republican Rome, many Etruscologists are also scholars of the history, archaeology, and culture of Rome.

The premier scholarly journal of Etruscan Studies is Studi Etruschi. A recent edition to the scholarly literature is the American journal, Etruscan Studies: Journal of the Etruscan Foundation, which began publication in 1994. A more informal organ is Etruscan News and the accompanying cyber-publication Etruscan News Online.

Thomas Dempster (b. 1570, d. 1625), Scottish scholar and historian, is perhaps the godfather of Etruscology. Under the patronage of Grand Duke Cosimo II of Etruria, Dempster researched and wrote De Etruria Regali Libri Septem in Latin.

Prominent Etruscologists, past and present, include Ranuccio Bianchi Bandinelli, Massimo Pallottino, Mauro Cristofani, Giovanni Colonna, Giulio Giglioli, Giovannangelo Camporeale, L. B. Van der Meer, George Dennis, Nancy T. DeGrummond, and Larissa Bonfante. Other scholars who focus more on the Etruscan influence on Rome include, R. E. A. Palmer, John F. Hall, and H. H. Scullard.

Various organizations promote Etruscology. The Etruscan Foundation supports Etruscan scholarship in the United States and abroad. The foundation provides internships and fellowships, and publishes the journal Etruscan Studies. It also sponsors an annual lecture.