ABSTRACT

Etruscan architecture is an acquired taste for those expecting well-preserved ancient buildings such as the Greek temples or the Roman bath complexes. Instead of gleaming marble and indestructible brick walls, it is the bare remains of a foundation course, a threshold, a column base, a tile fragment, or a cutting for a post hole that provide evidence for reconstructing an Etruscan temple or other building. Yet, thanks to references in the ancient texts as well as an increasing body of archaeological remains, it is recognized, sometimes somewhat reluctantly, that Etruscan architecture is important, and that its heritage deserves to be acknowledged.