Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and beginning April 20th, 2021 (Eastern Time) the Yahoo Answers website will be in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.

About the Romans and Etruscans?

I know for the most part the story of Romulus and Remus, but I was asked recently to connect the numerous Etruscan paintings of birds with this legend. (There are paintings of the "boys" with many birds around them)

Can anyone help me?

2 Answers

Relevance
  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    The Etruscans (also known as the Tuscans by the Romans) held birds in high esteem. It is believed that the Roman use of the Eagle as a Symbol of State came from the Etruscans.

    Communication from Deities was usually done through birds and to a lesser extent berries. This was often depicted in their art.

  • 1 decade ago

    Etruscans were very concerned about divination and read the presages in thunder, bird's flight and liver of sacrificed animals. Romans relied on them for such things (apart of learning most of their technology from them). Those birds surely represent favorable or nefastous presages, I guess.

    If I don't recall badly, birds coming from the left were nefarious presages (hence sinister, from sinistra, left) and those coming from the right were favorable.

Still have questions? Get your answers by asking now.