Ancient history is often over-dramatized in the primary sources. As one of many examples, Plutarch wrote his “biographies” more concerned with teaching a moral lesson than with the facts. Regardless, it sure makes for good reading! Today, the sad story of the Etruscans.
The Etruscan League (or, “League of Etruria”) was a loose confederation of twelve city-states in Italy, existing before the rise of the Roman Republic. The cities of the League practiced a loose, early form of democracy, and committed themselves strongly to the idea of unity through freedom. But when their strongest city (Veii) lapsed into a kingship, the League expelled it, and refused to defend it against a Roman invasion. When Veii fell, the League all of a sudden lacked its strongest power, and it quickly fell thereafter to Roman Legions, city by city.
In direct contrast, the thirteen young American colonies, after much politicking, came to the defense of Massachusetts against the British, sensing that the colonies would all hang together, “or surely hang separately.” The difference of result – enslavement versus centuries of prosperity – shows the strong importance of unity in the face of a common foe, a continuing lesson that today’s leaders ought to heed. Although I can’t for the life of me think how to apply this lesson today, it’s nonetheless fun to repeat.
Above, the symbol of the Etruscan League, the fasces – twelve sticks bound together around a common commitment to strength through unity, symbolized by the axe. Curiously, the fasces found its way into Roman, then American iconography. Hopefully the message will prove just as enduring.
Unfortunately the fasces was also a popular image with facist Italy. Leave it to them to ruin a perfectly nice bit of symbolism.
Posted by Progressive Conservative | May 27, 2008, 11:10 pmOn that we agree. At least America was able to claw it back, somewhat.
Posted by Ames | May 27, 2008, 11:34 pmI see you’ve been reading Livy. ;-)
However, I suspect that in suggesting Veii’s monarchy as a cause for their fall, Livy is more trying to both A) promote the virtues of the Republican type of government, and B) play on the traditional Republican Roman hatred for monarchy in order to legitimize the Roman attack on Veii, rather than reflecting any historical reality.
I’m not too well versed in Etruscan history, but at least I’m pretty sure that monarchy was more or less the norm throughout their history.
Also, not to wreck too much havoc with your simile, but I suspect that the decline of the Etruscan League may have had more to do with a general redistribution of the balance of power around the Mediterranean than any internal division within the League. Which of course may lead into another historical simile regarding what the international situation in the late 18th century meant for the American Revolution – but that’s probably for another day. ;-)
Posted by AKjeldsen | May 30, 2008, 6:51 amThat seems right :-). I count on Livy & Plutarch for good stories mostly…
Posted by Ames | May 30, 2008, 9:35 am