the tyrrhenians (attic greek:  turrhÄnoi) or tyrsenians (ionic:  tursÄnoi; doric:  tursÄnoiÎ¤ÏÏÏÎ·Î½ÏÏ, henry george liddell, robert scott, a greek-english lexicon, on perseus) is an exonym used by greek authors to refer to a non-greek people. == earliest references == the origin of the name is uncertain. it is only known to be used by greek authors, but apparently not of greek origin. it has been connected to tursis, also a "mediterranean" loan into greek, meaning "tower" (see there). direct connections with tusci, the latin exonym for the etruscans, from turs-ci have also been attempted.alfred heubeck, praegraeca: sprachliche untersuchungen zum vorgriechisch-indogermanischen substrat, (erlangen) 1961:65f. see also turan, tyrant. the earliest instances in literature are in hesiod and the homeric hymn to dionysus. hesiod has  the homeric hymn to dionysus has tyrsenian pirates seizing dionysus,  ==possible identification with the etruscans== later, in the 6th to 5th centuries bc, the name referred specifically to the etruscans, for whom the tyrrhenian sea is named, according to strabo.strabo, 5.2.2. in pindar,pindar, pythian odes 1.72 the tyrsanoi appear grouped with the carthaginians as a threat to magna graecia:  the name is also attested in a fragment by sophocles.sophocles, inachus, fr. 256 the name becomes increasingly associated with the generic pelasgians. herodotusherodotus 1.57 places them in crestonia in thrace, as neighbours of the pelasgians. similarly, thucydidesthucydides 4.106 mentions them together with the pelasgians and associates them with lemnian pirates and with the pre-greek population of attica. lemnos remained relatively free of greek influence up to hellenistic times, and interestingly, the lemnos stele of the 6th century bc is inscribed with a language very similar to etruscan. this has led to the postulation of a "tyrrhenian language group" comprising et
Etruscans Pre-Indo-Europeans