CERVETERI
The birth of the Etruscan culture couldn’t have been spontaneous, in a scientific sense. There was evidence of another tribe, the Villanovans, who inhabited the territory of central Italy before that time, but the archeological evidence did not support the theory that the Villanovans simply evolved into the Etruscans. The usual detritus of civilization left by the two peoples was distinct enough to confirm that they were separate cultures—at least before 600 BCE. And the enigmatic Etruscan language had thus far stymied cultural historians and prevented them from literally “reading” the record.
Yusuf Demir, whom everyone thought was an expert on the Etruscans, happened to be on an extended holiday in Cerveteri, another ancient Etruscan settlement. Leaving La Casa Corvina, Alana
