In 1968 Italian workers were expanded motorway from the sea to the Adriatic coast. These places are famous by many ancient burial places, because no one was surprised when the bucket was the urn or a jug with verdigris from time coins. However, at some point works were suspended. All stood still, waiting for the chief archaeologist Gino Vinicko Gentili, who led the excavations in places.

Experienced archaeologist was shocked by what he saw: the gold plates, amber, wood carvings, bronze vases, hat, jewelry, tripod, carved footstool, straw baskets, several funerary urns, wrapped in linen, and many other unique items, which for many centuries was concealing a land, if he tried to tell about the ancient civilization that once flourished in these places.

Etruria, which emerged in the first Millennium B.C. and is located on the North-West of the Peninsula, is one of the few civilizations, which flared up, like a star in the sky, and just as quickly disappeared. Tribes Etruscans, whose origin is still a mystery, he created an amazing culture that preceded the Roman and greatly influenced her.

In VII century B.C. in the Etruscans were erected 12 cities-fortresses, protected by thick walls. After some time they became city-States, each of which had their king. Every year in March the representatives of all 12 cities gathered at the temple Volturna - deity, were represented in the form of an androgynous being, and was elected the head of Union and praetor, which was headed by the Etruscan army. In those days there were sport games, dedicated to the gods. In conclusion of the ceremony select the praetor all the kings of the twelve cities handed him 12 axes and bundles of rods. A bundle of sticks stuck with them axes meant that elected the Governor has the right to punish his subjects and even execute them. The praetor was solemnly driven into the walls of the temple wooden nail, as if putting a period at the end past year, from March until March.

The nail of iron for this was not good enough, because, according to legend, dear spirits were afraid of cold metal.

Excavations started Gentili in 1968, is still going on. Thanks to them gradually lifted the veil of secrecy over the Etruscan civilization. We know now that the Etruscans lived in houses, consisting of a spacious quadrangular halls around which was attached a small room. One of the rooms, in which there was a hearth, was called black because the walls and ceiling were covered with soot. To the smoke went to the street, in the ceiling cut a small hole, and if it rained, closed his damper. However, if the owners of the house had not closed the hole, rainwater was collected in specially equipped under it on the floor marble swimming pool. Nearby are located the altar to the household gods, table, at which gathered the family members, and the marriage bed.

Etruscan liver for divination

The Etruscans built their houses on the Foundation of volcanic rock - tuff. The walls were built of clay, the roof was tiled. Interestingly, painted in homes often completely corresponded to the frescoes inside the temple. Quite often, the roof was decorated with beautiful images of horses, which, according to legends, accompanied the man to the afterlife, or Gorgon host the world of the dead, designed to frighten away evil forces. Sometimes there were drawing snakes and birds, as an embodiment of the earth and air elements. However, all these figures were not seen any passers-by, either by the owners of the houses. They can be seen, only rising above the roof to a considerable height... it is Known that already in the VII century B.C. Etruscans knew writing. "The doctrine of Tara" - "Bible" of the Etruscans, written on wax tablets, unfortunately, not extant. Priceless document in its time was lost by the Romans, remained only a few small fragments. Still, scientists managed to restore amazing Etruscan legend about events that happened in ancient times. Once the magician of Targon plowed land and with such force leaned against the plow that ripped up her thighs deeper than it should. At first he did not understand that the knife plough destroyed the wall, otgorazhivatsya people from the underworld. Reaching the edge of the field, Tarhan looked back and saw that out of the furrow is trying to get the little boy. Looking closely, he has understood that this is not an ordinary child, from his head, covered with white hair, glowing. Scared the magician started picking up all the sorcerers of Etruria, who immediately took to his call. When they all arrived on the field, "the boy said that he Tag, the son of the Supreme deity of the Etruscans Tina. Sorcerers knew teen sits on huge mountain and watching what is happening in the world.

According to him, the Tag has risen from the underworld in order to predict the future of the Etruscans, whose fate, he said, will be glorious, but difficult. Mages wrote down every word Tag on wax tablets. The son of God spoke for a long time - a few days - and sorcerers all wrote and wrote, feeling neither hunger, nor thirst, fatigue. Tag told them how to calculate the movement of the stars in the sky, as in the entrails of animals sacrificed to the gods, and the flight of birds to know the future, how to resist the evil spirits. He gave them plenty of other secret knowledge. When he passed the third day, Tag said to the wizard: "Everything that I told you now, you need to convey to other people without expecting their thanks and glad you dispelled the darkness of ignorance". And at parting he raised his hand and said: "the Fate of your people will be unhappy. You will achieve wealth and prosperity, but will lose all at once and die to the last man. However, completing the way the earth, you will find yourself in heaven, where we get a decent reward for their labors". After these words the Tag in front of sorcerers forever plunged into the ground.

Alas, several wax tablets, preserved since the legendary days, tell only about Hauspie - method of divination by the liver of animals.

In 1877, near the Italian city of Piacenza farmer working in his field, found in the earth a strange bronze subject 12,5 see Not wanting to throw the find, but not knowing where to apply it in their own farms, farmer sold it for some ridiculous amount parish priest. The priest, in turn resold "trinket" his neighbor, collector of antiquities, which showed her friends antiquarians, but none of them could never say, what is this strange thing.

Only after 17 years mysterious discovery came in Milan Museum. Fortunately, at that time there was a scientist-idroscalo, who found that mysterious thing - not that other, as a bronze liver. A few fragments of extant samples of the Etruscan alphabet describes the methods of divination by the liver of animals. The liver was considered in Etruria not only a vital organ, but a generator of feelings. So the priests who foretold the future, therefore, enjoyed special respect. They considered the liver tiny world, the microcosm, which reflected the life of the Universe.

However, as the legend above the Etruscans had a complex system of divination, through which you can know the will of the gods. Kept the description of divination by lightning, the flight of birds, the entrails of animals. The life of the ancient people depended on the decisions of the priests. Asked them for advice, before you lay the city, to build churches or homes, to punish or forgive criminals.

The priests, gagausia on the liver of animals, or haruspicy, special attention was paid to its pyramidal process. If he was a big, man seeking a prediction of the expected luck in business, if little - misfortune. Forked process prophesied war, and thickening on top of it was interpreted as a victory. Haruspicy wore a peaked cap from sheepskin and rough woolen clothing that was not to be neither strings nor nodes. Cap fastened under the chin leather belt, if, despite all precautions, he still slipping on the forehead or the back of the head, this was considered a bad omen. On the shoulder of haruspicy always had ritual bronze knife with a broad blade and the handle in the form of figurines. For predictions were good liver exceptionally healthy sheep, and not everyone, but only those who resisted, when they were going to sacrifice. At first haruspicy only pay attention to the color and size of the liver, but later, according bronze Nakhodka from Piacenza, began to relate certain parts of this body with dwellings separate gods. The region of the liver divided into sixteen rectangles with the names of the main gods - tin, Uni, Minerva, manta rays, Mania... Each of the rectangles corresponded part of the sky, and, comparing the state sector of the liver with part of the firmament, magicians did the prediction.

Modern scholars have concluded that "the liver from Piacenza" was used as a textbook for teaching the art of divination.

There was also a caste of priests, fulgatore, Hadassah by thunder and lightning. They mentally broke the sky sixteen sectors, each of which, in their opinion, dwelt a certain God. Depending on what sector came zip (from the good God or an evil), was made a favorable or ominous prediction. This should take into account the shape, color and movement trajectory of lightning. According to paragraphoverly, purgatory themselves could cause a storm.

Avispices - soothsayers by the flight of birds - also had to determine the trajectory of their flight, to know their views and count how many birds in the sky.

Magic knowledge of the Etruscans often operated by the Romans. Were preserved documents, under which garuspik Surina in 44 BC warned of Julius Caesar that he may die in the ides of March from the hands of the murderers. Caesar did not heed the warning, for which, as we know, and paid for it. By the way, Etruscan priests were engaged not only predict the future. They were excellent doctors, knew many medicinal herbs and they were successfully used for the treatment of patients. Moreover, in the Museum of Liverpool exhibited gold dentures found in the Etruscan tombs. This suggests that in the distant epoch Etruscans already successfully engaged in dentistry.

Etruscan civilization remains one of the most mysterious in the Mediterranean. Beautiful country happened very quickly, but just as quickly and was gone. To the beginning of III century BC all Etruscan city to be conquered by the Romans. Gradually disappears Etruscan language, manuscripts of ancient people ruthlessly destroyed. However, there are many inscriptions on the Etruscan language, they are on the walls of dwellings and temples. However, researchers do not always manage to decipher their meaning, so the history and culture of amazing people still remains a mystery for us.