I found this interesting map of settlements in Italy, during 350 BC.
Urbanism in Ancient Peninsular Italy: developing a methodology for a database analysis of higher order settlements (350 BCE to 300 CE) http://intarch.ac.uk/journal/issue40/2/index.html
Thanks for sharing, Jovialis. Is there a list of the names of the settlements in that map? It would be interesting to find it, because many of those settlements did not belong to one civilization, but they go through several phases.
Interesting as 50% of the Etruscan settlements were actually in the north and center of Lazio, with the highest concentration of all Italy there.
I see in Emilia Bologna, Marzabotto and perhaps Monte Bibele or Casalecchio di Reno (I do not understand the third near Bologna what it is exactly but based on the map's position should be Casalecchio) all labeled as Gallic, but until the 4th century BC those were all Villanovan and Etruscan. And Etruscan testimonies also exist in the north-western part of Emilia. Modena (Mutna) was also Etruscan. The other Gallic settlements in Emilia could be Piacenza and Parma?
In the Adriatic side I see labeled as Etruscan (perhaps) Adria, Spina, Verucchio, Cesena and Ravenna, but the Etruscan dots are four. The Gallic dot should a place on the Romagna coast. Which one?
Adria, on the borders between Veneto and Emilia-Romagna, was Etruscan (and not only Etruscan, it was a port) but around the 3rd century BC was likely occupied by the Gauls-Celts. Maybe it's not even on the map, because it could be a little further north.
Spina was one of the few Etruscan settlements there to overcome the Gallic/Celtic invasion of the 4th century BC, and was active until the 2nd century BC.
Verucchio, first Villanovan and then Etruscan, at the end of the 4th century BC is thought that came under the influence or rule of the Umbrians. And a similar fate will have had any nearby settlement, beset by Gauls and Umbrians.
Cesena and Ravenna are thought to be of Etruscan origin because of the name (in particular because of the common suffix -ena), but are there any great testimonies there? I do not think the smoking gun has yet been found. They were certainly (also) Umbrian from a certain point onwards.
One of the most interesting civilizations in central Italy is the Faliscans, of which we do not know enough. They spoke a language similar to Latin, living on the edge of the Etruscan territories, and surrounded by everyone: Etruscans, Umbrians, Sabines, Latins, Aequians
. In their cities (Capena, Falerii Novi, Falerii Veteres...) are found both inscriptions in Faliscan and in Etruscan (and the population had both Faliscan and Etruscan names). In one of the Faliscan centers, I do not remember which one, there are more Etruscan inscriptions and for this reason I believe it is labeled as Etruscan in the map.
The situation in Abruzzo is very interesting, showing great internal diversification. Perhaps due also to the type of Abruzzo territory.
Too bad the map does not include Sicily, Sardinia and the rest of northern Italy.
