The Etruscans have been portrayed in popular imagination as history's underdogs, or as tyrants and loose women, based on works written by their Greek and Roman enemies -- the only histories that survive -- but the image formed by modern archaeology and epigraphy is strikingly different. This is survey of Etruscan culture from its origins in the Late Bronze Age to its gradual demise under Roman domination, with reference to neighboring Italic cultures, the early Greek colonies of the West, and to the impact of Etruscan heritage on the art and literature of Roman, Medieval and Renaissance Italy and the modern world. The archaeology of this non-Indo-European ethnic group includes DNA analysis of modern populations, and new appreciation of the modes of urbanization (appearing earlier in Italy than in many areas). Scientific studies point up the debt of the modern world to Etruscan commerce, language and technology. In addition to issues of classical history, the Etruscan language and religion, art and architecture (including pottery, bronzes, terracottas and tomb painting), students' specialized interests (Classics, history, art history, anthropology) will be addressed in the second half of the term. Workshop sessions with artifacts and a tour of the newly opened Etruscan World Gallery in the University Museum are planned.