900 BC

Events in 900 BC 1

• 900 BC – 500 BC Etruscan Civilization: Origins & Villanova Period The Etruscan civilization emerged in the region of central Italy known as Etruria -- roughly modern Tuscany, Lazio north of the Tiber and western Umbria -- from indigenous Bronze Age and Early Iron Age populations. Their origins have been debated since antiquity: Herodotus claimed they came from Lydia in Asia Minor; Dionysius of Halicarnassus argued they were indigenous Italians; modern genetic and archaeological evidence strongly supports the indigenous origin theory, with Eastern Mediterranean cultural influences arriving through trade rather than migration. The Villanova culture (c.900-700 BC) represents the formative phase of Etruscan civilization: an Early Iron Age culture distinguished by its biconical cremation urns, sophisticated metalworking and proto-urban settlements that grow into the great Etruscan city-states.