One example is the type of the warrior grave, represented by the helmet-topped urn. There are other indications, too, of the effectiveness of the Etruscans in warfare. The absence of any Greek or Phoenician colonies in Etruria ought to mean that the Etruscans were strong enough to prevent them from being founded. This could mean that Etruscan naval power was sufficient to keep the cities safe. Finally, in this period the first signs of synoikism, the consolidation of villages into urban centers, appear in Etruria.
Urbanization is a major component of the Etruscan legacy to Rome.
Here we will leave the events of Etruscan history in the late 7th and 6th centuries for next time, as they become ever more closely entwined with Roman history as it crosses the line from fiction to fact. Early Rome It is customary to begin any discussion of Early Rome with a discussion of the literary tradition. Prior to that time the chances of confirming the literary tradition with reference to the archaeological record are exiguous. Today's remarks will take us only up to the 7th. These early Romans lived in circular huts, as the discovery of these post-holes from the Palatine show.