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The Etruscan Language has always exercised an extraordinary fascination on the public, until it grew into that which has always been popularly known as the "mysterious Etruscan". Yet today many believe in the complete obscurity of the Etruscan tests are waiting to be "deciphered". In reality, it does not mean finding a key, in that many things have already been understood. Only studying the global knowledge based on the wide study which regards the culture, historical facts, the context of the civil world; in which the Etruscan language was used, whatever remains the knowledge is limited. Therefore you could not speak in terms of mystery, but in terms of difficulty.
The first major difficulty of the Etruscan language was linked to the fact that it is an isolated language, in the sense that, while presenting similarities with Mediterranean and Indo-European idioms, it is not useful structure in any other linguist group that we know. The second difficulty is the shortage of material at our disposition. The direct and indirect source on which, today we base our study of the Etruscans is at present almost exclusively inscribed about 20,000. A number probably intended to grow, following the field of archaeological excavations; unfortunately they are short inscription and extremely monotonous and repetitive. That is because they are for funerals and votive: name of the dead person, occupation in life, names of relatives, sometimes names involved in the life above earth of the dead person. The third difficulty is in the missing direct instruments of translation of the words, which is bilingual, except only small examples of which
the Foils of Pyrgi.
 The discoveries  The alphabet The supports for writing The literature |
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