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This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1900 Excerpt:... warlike race, and formed the most powerful opponents to the rising state of Rome, established to the southward of them. All concerning the Etruscans is more or less of mystery, and though savants have found the key to the far more ancient hieroglyphics of Egypt, the language of Etruria, in which numerous inscriptions are extant, is still an unsolved enigma. Indeed, scarcely anything was known concerning this ancient and talented people until comparatively yesterday. The researches of Mr. Dennis amongst the ruins of the tombs of the country have, however, thrown a flood of light upon the nature and the habits of the Etruscans, in consequence of which it has been discovered that instead of being merely a fierce and warlike tribe of barbarians, able to hold their own against the still more ferocious Romans, they were possessed of a very remarkable degree of culture, and were especially famous in the early world for their technical skill. They were undoubtedly skilful architects, and if not the actual discoverers of the principle of the arch, were at least the first people of antiquity to employ it practically. As the Romans owed much of their skill to their Etruscan neighbours and rivals, it may be fairly conjectured that Roman architecture and art owed much to their northern neighbours. It is probably the factor thus obtained which mainly differentiates the art of the Roman from that of the Greek, for undoubtedly Greek art forms the principal foundation for that of Rome. The Romans built their temples and their palaces on the same plan as did the Greeks, used the same orders and almost the identical ornaments; moreover, carved their statuary--during their earlier period at least--upon the same principles. But the Roman was a more practical if somewhat coarse...