Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, Rome’s First Etruscan King
The early Roman Kingdom was dominated by the descendants of its Latin and Sabine founders. As time went by, people from neighboring Etruria gradually moved in, and Romans of Etruscan origin gained importance. It all culminated with the rise of Rome’s first Etruscan ruler, Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, a.k.a. Tarquin the Elder.
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Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, Rome’s First Etruscan King
To understand early Rome’s ethnic makeup, think of the USA at the end of the 18th century.
A group of British colonies had just obtained independence and become the United States of America. Still, the early Americans were mainly of British ethnic origin (i.e., English, Scottish, and Welsh).
To the north, other ethnic Britons and Frenchmen lived, but they were Canadian, not American. At the same time, to the south, there were Frenchmen in Louisiana and Spaniards in Florida, while to the west, Native Americans dwelled, and beyond them, another group of Spanish people. They weren’t Americans either.
It was the same with the Romans in the early days. They were Romans, but, at the same time, they belonged to different ethnic groups (or tribes), namely the Latins, the Sabines, and the Etruscans. Concurrently, Rome was surrounded by other Latins to the east and south, other Sabines to the north, and other Etruscans to the northwest.
Since the city was founded by Latin colonists from Alba Longa, who then allied themselves through marriage with a Sabine group led by Titus Tatius, these ethnic groups dominated Rome. Unsurprisingly, the kings Romulus and Tullus Hostilius were of Latin origin, while Numa Pompilius and Ancus Marcius were Sabine.
However, the dominant culture on the Italian Peninsula was the Etruscan. It was only a matter of time until one of them rose to prominence in Rome.
The Origin of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus
One of the oldest city-states in Etruria was Tarquinia (Tarchuna in Etruscan), located north of Rome. Archeological finds suggest the settlement was a prosperous urban center long before the first written records. In other words, Tarquinia was centuries old when Romulus and his gang erected the first huts on the Palatine.
In 655 B.C., a guy called Demaratus immigrated to Tarquinia. The Greek nobleman fled his native Corinth to avoid facing the charges of sedition leveled against him.
Subsequently, Demaratus brought potters and artisans from his native Greece, enriching himself. He married an Etruscan woman and had two sons, Arruns and Lucumo.
Lucumo aspired to high political office as the son of a wealthy and influential Tarquinian. However, being half-Greek stood in the way of his dreams. Yet, his ambitious wife, the prophetess Tanaquil, convinced Lucumo to move to the up-and-coming city of Rome. Anyone who applied themselves could live the Roman dream, she argued, especially a wealthy Etruscan.
Thus, Lucumo became Lucius Tarquinius Priscus and immigrated to the land of opportunity called Rome. I guess the cognomen Priscus was a later acquisition since it meant ancient or venerable, hence his English name, Tarquin the Elder.
I must add that Priscus’ actual Etruscan birth name is unknown to us. Lucumo derived from the Etruscan word for ruler, so Roman authors must have confused the name with the title. Lacking a better alternative, we will stay with it.
Rise to Power
According to the story, when Priscus arrived in Rome on a chariot, an eagle snatched his cap before returning it. The event confirmed his wife’s prophecy of the greatness awaiting him.
Favorable omens notwithstanding, King Ancus Marcius appointed Priscus as the guardian of his sons. Now, one might wonder how come a recent immigrant from a rival city was hired to educate the heirs of Rome’s ruler. I can only suspect that it had to do with Priscus’ money, money, money. To quote a famous song, it “must be funny in the rich man’s world.”
While the King and the wealthy Etruscan became close, Priscus’ friendship and loyalty died with Marcius. As soon as the former ruler was out of the way, the guardian of his sons convinced the Curiate Assembly to appoint him as the new ruler instead of one of his wards.
Thus, in 616 B.C., the first “billionaire” immigrant became King of Rome. It reminds me of someone; I just can’t put my finger on it. Well, it’ll come to me later.
Reforming the Senate
As you may recall, the Roman Senate reached 300 members during the Kingdom era. At its establishment by Romulus, it consisted of the heads of the 100 leading families. After the conquest of Alba Longa, Tullus Hostilius added the paters of prominent Alban families. Now, it was time for Priscus to leave his mark.
In an apparent show of inclusiveness, Priscus augmented the Senate with 100 new members from minor families. Little did he know that the newly elevated Octavii would sire Rome’s first Emperor six hundred years later.
In truth, it was a shrewd move. As an outsider, Priscus couldn’t take the old families’ support for granted. So, he promoted some of the ambitious minor families, expecting them to be loyal to their benefactor.
Wars and Conquests
Following in his predecessors’ footsteps, Lucius Tarquinius Priscus made war on Rome’s neighbors. As per tradition, he took them one by one.
War with the Latins
Reading about the wars of early Rome, one can’t help but notice a pattern.
There was peace until one of the neighbors, usually the Latins, foolishly decided to raid Roman lands. Naturally, the Romans retaliated, occupying one or more enemy settlements and then forcefully assimilating their population. Well, the same happened this time around.
For some reason or another, the Latin League claimed the peace treaties they agreed with Priscus’ predecessors were null and void. Thus, they raided Roman lands. Can you guess what the Romans did next? Indeed, they stormed a Latin city; this time, it was the turn of Apiolae.
Desperate, the Latins called upon the Sabines and Etruscans for help. However, Priscus pressed on until he crushed the Latins before turning his attention toward the others.
War with the Sabines
The Sabine army, joined by Etruscan auxiliaries, marched to war. They established their temporary base at the crossing of two rivers. Taking advantage of this, Priscus launched a fleet of boats downriver and set them aflame. The burning ships floated into the Sabine camp, provoking fires throughout it. While the Sabines were busy dousing the flames, the Romans attacked the camp and defeated them.
Despite Rome’s successes, the war went on.
Suspecting an imminent Sabine offensive, Priscus doubled the number of equites by promoting well-off commoners. As the name suggests, Rome’s minor nobility had to provide mounted warriors to the Roman Army.
Priscus was right, and the Sabines attacked. The fighting was hard; the Romans were pushed back into their city, and vicious street fighting ensued. Eventually, the Sabines were beaten back, and peace negotiations were initiated.
The Sabines agreed to cede the town of Collatia to the Romans—remember this town, for it will play an infamous but significant role in not-so-distant events. Moreover, the Latins relinquished control over the settlements of Corniculum, Ficulea, Cameria, Crustumerium, Ameriola, Medullia, and Nomentum.
Remember Arruns, Priscus’ brother? He died just before his father, Demaratus, but not before he impregnated his wife. Unaware of the incoming baby, Demeratus bequeathed his entire wealth to his remaining son, Priscus. Thus, baby Arruns came to the world as a pauper despite his late father’s and grandfather’s fortune. For this reason, Arruns was known as Egerius, the Needy One.
Perhaps feeling guilty of inadvertently robbing his nephew of his share, Priscus appointed Egerius as the commander of the Roman garrison in Collatia. I don’t know about you, but I believe it was too little, too late.
War with the Etruscans
Having defeated the Latins and Sabines, Priscus tried to make peace with the Etruscans, to no avail. Since Rome captured Etruscan volunteers fighting alongside the Sabines, the prisoners’ hometowns officially declared war on Rome.
The Etruscans occupied the Roman colony of Fidenae and struggled with the Romans for its control for the remainder of the war. Several bloody battles later, the Romans defeated the Etruscans, extorting rich tribute in exchange for peace.
Introducing Etruscan Traditions
The previous Roman rulers publicly celebrated after successful wars. Still, Tarquinius Priscus is responsible for turning triumphs into the grandiose events we all associate with the Romans.
A triumphant general riding in a golden chariot drawn by four horses, dressed in a gold-embroidered toga over a tunic decorated with palm leaves—it was an Etruscan custom. Since he couldn’t be honored in such a fashion in his birth town of Tarquinia, Priscus introduced the practice to Rome.
Don’t tell your Roman friends about it, but many other quintessentially Roman things were actually Etruscan.
The royal scepter, the purple toga and mantle of kings, the white toga with a broad purple stripe of Roman magistrates, the fasces carried by the lictors, the curule chair, and the Senatorial rings were all brought in by Priscus.
Furthermore, Priscus introduced Etruscan items to the Roman Army. The cloak worn by military commanders (lat. paludamentum), the metal discs awarded as medals (lat. phalera), and the use of the tuba as a military musical instrument harken back to his reign.
Civilian Structures
A couple of famous Roman structures are attributed to the times of Lucius Tarquinius Priscus.
The Circus Maximus, or the Great Circus, was the first and largest chariot racing stadium in the city of Rome. After its construction, Priscus organized annual games there, a tradition that was followed for a thousand years. Naturally, the first horses to race there were from Etruria.
As impressive as the Circus Maximus was, the other feat of engineering associated with Priscus is still used to this day.
The Cloaca Maxima, Rome’s main sewer, drained the marshes between the hills and prevented the flooding of the city. The sewers’ arch was inspired by—you guessed it—similar Etruscan structures.
In addition, Priscus encircled the city with stone walls for the first time in its history.
Lastly, using the plunder obtained during the wars, Priscus began the construction of the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline Hill.
Death and Legacy
Even though Rome was an elective monarchy, Ancus Marcius tried to get one of his sons to succeed him. The plan failed because the children’s guardians beat them to the throne. Now, it was Priscus’s turn to arrange for a hereditary succession. Karma was always a bitch, though.
Three decades had passed since Priscus became king, yet Ancus Marcius’s sons still seethed over their former guardian’s betrayal. So, they organized a fake riot during which Priscus received a fatal ax blow to the head.
I won’t spoil what happened next; that is another tale.
Analyzing Lucius Tarquinius Priscus’ achievements, one can reasonably say he was a consequential ruler both at war and at home.
Under his rule, the Romans continued to expand and gradually subjugate the towns around Rome.
At the same time, the State consolidated its aura by the introduction and institutionalization of many ceremonies and traditions of Etruscan origin.
Apart from Priscus’ background, let us remember that the indigenous Etruscans were the oldest and most advanced civilization in the Italian Peninsula. It was natural for the Romans to look up to them—although grudgingly—and mirror their behavior. Many centuries later, other emerging nations similarly mirrored Roman institutions and ceremonies.
Moreover, Priscus left its mark on the Roman landscape by turning the unpleasant marshes between the different hilltop neighborhoods into suitable land for construction. Otherwise, Rome would have never become the metropolis that ruled the world.
Lastly, the well-preserved site of the Circus Maximus still stands as a testament to the accomplishments of Rome’s first Etruscan ruler.
