Tyrrhenians

The Tyrsener ( ancient Greek Τυρρηνοί, Tyrrhenoi; Τυρσηνοί, Tyrsenoi; Latin Tyrrhenian ) were in the ancient Greek myth and history in an area of northwestern Asia Minor, but also on the islands of Lemnos, Imbros, Samothrace and Lesbos, located somewhere people. One in antiquity and even to this day, according to widespread opinion, they were closely related to the Etruscans, who of Etruria, starting in the 1st millennium BC, an influential cultural and political- military power in the western Apennine Peninsula, Sardinia and Sicily represented, are individual authors say also mentioned in Egyptian sources around 1200 BC.

The known today as Lemnian language of Tyrsener resembled - contemporary " ear witnesses " as well as modern analyzes of According to inscriptions - the Etruscan, and also this the Rhaetian. This led to the proposal of an " ur - tyrsenischen " or "proto- tyrsenischen ", about 1000 BC spoken common proto-language.

Etruscan

→ Main article: Etruscan

The great interest was paid to the Etruscans, whose colorful and realistic sculptures mainly in tombs attract admirers and tourists. Then there are the numerous inscriptions left there. These use an easy to read, then spread Greek alphabet. However, the language is not Indo-European, assign virtually any other known language group, thus largely incomprehensible. This resulted in the " mystery of the Etruscans ." The Tyrsener formed in a sense a " fulcrum ", a hypothetical construct, with the aid of this " mystery " to be solved.

The idea of Tyrsener as a kindred people the Etruscans probably led to the fact that " Tyrrhenian " as a synonym for " Etruscan " prevailed and that bounded by the Apennine Peninsula, Sardinia and Sicily, part of the Mediterranean was called Tyrrhenian Sea. Alternatively, the term " Tyrrhenian " was considered to be authentic and original supposedly typical Etruscan military structures - " tyrseis " - returned.

Today, it is not usual to distinguish the Tyrsener by the Etruscans. This may significantly based on the fact that it does not depend on the choice of the name of the Etruscans of Italy, if we confine ourselves to the consideration of the Etruscans of Italy. From this perspective, even the phonetic difference between " Tyrsenern " and " Tyrrhenians " does not matter. In contrast, the distinction in this article is useful for the following reasons:

" Sea Peoples "

→ Main article: Peoples of the Sea

In the 12th and 11th century BC - - threatened Near Eastern civilizations torn down and partly by archaeological discoveries in Egypt in the 19th and 20th centuries, and other written sources of the time, the idea of ​​a " Seevölkersturms " of the end of the Bronze Age was should have. The Egyptian inscriptions mention ethnic groups that can be identified and located by comparison with about Hittite correspondence or the biblical tradition ( Lycians, Philistines, Cretans [ Keftiu ], Danuna / Danaans, etc.).

On the other hand, was about claiming at one of the incident Peoples - " Trš.w " ( Tur [ u] ša, TuRISa ) - Whether they are simply the Etruscans. Similarly, residents of Sardinia ( Sardana ) and Sicily ( Šekeleš or Sikels ) was discussed. Such localizations in the western Mediterranean are already not to impose Near Eastern correspondence. However, the idea stands to reason that different peoples of Near Eastern and African coasts are trying, unsuccessfully, to gain a foothold, this encounter ultimately repellent Egyptians and Libyans and eventually settle in the area of ​​the " Tyrrhenian " Sea. Furthermore makes Mycenaean goods in Sardinia travel between there and the Near East already possible in the Bronze Age. Alternatively, some offered that the Šekeleš settled as northern neighbors of the Philistines, and there aufgingen with time in the neighboring population - or perished ( archaeological fire horizon). The name similarity with the more autochthonous Italic people of Sikels (or Siculi ), the coming ousted the Sican population of Sicily from the mainland could insofar be pure coincidence. Analog or similar it might behave with the Sardana and TuRISa.

Phonetically, the equation of tursa urges the Tyrsenern; it gains in terms of the pirate nation of Tyrsener in Greek poetry to appeal. It is more difficult to identify the around 1200 BC people mentioned the tursa with the historical Tyrsenern to 700 BC, the first time as a conqueror of the Aegean island of Lemnos intangible, or with the Etruscans, the first time around 800 BC is AD in northwest Italy are tangible and himself " Rasenna " called. The key to the identification of the latter is the tursa in the made ​​by ancient Greek authors equating the Etruscans with the Tyrsenern.