Tarchon
Encyclopedia
In Etruscan mythology
, Tarchon and his brother, Tyrrhenus
, were culture hero
es who founded the Etruscan
Federation (or League) of twelve cities, the Dodecapoli. One author, Joannes Laurentius Lydus
, distinguishes two legendary persons named Tarchon, the Younger and his father, the Elder. It was the Elder who received the Etrusca Disciplina from Tages
, whom he identifies as a parable. The Younger fought with Aeneas
after his arrival in Italy. The elder was a haruspex
, who learned his art from Tyrrhenus, and was probably the founder of Tarquinia
and the Etruscan League. Lydus does not say that but the connection was being made at least as long ago as George Dennis
. Lydus had the advantage in credibility, even though late (6th century AD), of stating that he read the part of the Etrusca Disciplina about Tages and that it was a dialogue with Tarchon's lines in "the ordinary language of the Italians" and Tages' lines in Etruscan, which was difficult for him to read. He relied on translations.
In Virgil
's Aeneid
, Tarchon, king of the Tyrrhenians, leads the Etruscans in their alliance with Aeneas
against Turnus
and the other Latian tribes. The legend fits well with Lydus', as this Tarchon must been the younger, dating him to the century immediately after the Trojan War
. Nothing in the archaeology of Tarquinii and the other cities of the league contradicts these legends, as they were all founded in Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age contexts; i.e., in one round number, about 1000 BC. The legends indicate that Aeneas was not an Etruscan, that he arrived in an already existing Etruria, and that it is to be dated to before the Trojan War.
Ancient/Modern
Rusellae
/Roselle is incorrectly considered to have been part of the league by some modern authors. Likewise, since Faesulae/Fiesole
was probably founded in the 9th-8th century BC and the Dodecapoli was founded by the Lydia
n brothers, Tyrsenos and Tarchon, who are both assumed to have lived in the 11th century BC, it is impossible that Faesulae was part of the league.
Etruscan mythology
The Etruscans were a diachronically continuous population, with a distinct language and culture during the period of earliest European writing, in the Mediterranean Iron Age in the second half of the first millennium BC...
, Tarchon and his brother, Tyrrhenus
Tyrrhenus
In Etruscan mythology, Tyrrhenus was one of the founders of the Etruscan Federation of twelve cities, along with his brother Tarchon. Herodotus describes him as the saver of Etruscans, because he led them from Lydia to Etruria. His name was given to the Etruscan people by the Greek. The Romans...
, were culture hero
Culture hero
A culture hero is a mythological hero specific to some group who changes the world through invention or discovery...
es who founded the Etruscan
Etruscan civilization
Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to a civilization of ancient Italy in the area corresponding roughly to Tuscany. The ancient Romans called its creators the Tusci or Etrusci...
Federation (or League) of twelve cities, the Dodecapoli. One author, Joannes Laurentius Lydus
Joannes Laurentius Lydus
John the Lydian or John Lydus was a 6th century Byzantine administrator and writer on antiquarian subjects. His works are of interest for specific data about classical events.- Life and career :...
, distinguishes two legendary persons named Tarchon, the Younger and his father, the Elder. It was the Elder who received the Etrusca Disciplina from Tages
Tages
Tages was a founding prophet of Etruscan religion who is known from reports by Latin authors of the late Roman republic and Roman empire. He revealed a cosmic view of divinity and correct methods of ascertaining divine will concerning events of public interest. Divination was undertaken in Roman...
, whom he identifies as a parable. The Younger fought with Aeneas
Aeneas
Aeneas , in Greco-Roman mythology, was a Trojan hero, the son of the prince Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite. His father was the second cousin of King Priam of Troy, making Aeneas Priam's second cousin, once removed. The journey of Aeneas from Troy , which led to the founding a hamlet south of...
after his arrival in Italy. The elder was a haruspex
Haruspex
In Roman and Etruscan religious practice, a haruspex was a man trained to practice a form of divination called haruspicy, hepatoscopy or hepatomancy. Haruspicy is the inspection of the entrails of sacrificed animals, especially the livers of sacrificed sheep and poultry...
, who learned his art from Tyrrhenus, and was probably the founder of Tarquinia
Tarquinia
Tarquinia, formerly Corneto and in Antiquity Tarquinii, is an ancient city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Italy.- History :Tarquinii is said to have been already a flourishing city when Demaratus of Corinth brought in Greek workmen...
and the Etruscan League. Lydus does not say that but the connection was being made at least as long ago as George Dennis
George Dennis
George Dennis may refer to:*George R. Dennis, American Senator from Maryland*George Dennis , British explorer-See also:*George Denys...
. Lydus had the advantage in credibility, even though late (6th century AD), of stating that he read the part of the Etrusca Disciplina about Tages and that it was a dialogue with Tarchon's lines in "the ordinary language of the Italians" and Tages' lines in Etruscan, which was difficult for him to read. He relied on translations.
In Virgil
Virgil
Publius Vergilius Maro, usually called Virgil or Vergil in English , was an ancient Roman poet of the Augustan period. He is known for three major works of Latin literature, the Eclogues , the Georgics, and the epic Aeneid...
's Aeneid
Aeneid
The Aeneid is a Latin epic poem, written by Virgil between 29 and 19 BC, that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans. It is composed of roughly 10,000 lines in dactylic hexameter...
, Tarchon, king of the Tyrrhenians, leads the Etruscans in their alliance with Aeneas
Aeneas
Aeneas , in Greco-Roman mythology, was a Trojan hero, the son of the prince Anchises and the goddess Aphrodite. His father was the second cousin of King Priam of Troy, making Aeneas Priam's second cousin, once removed. The journey of Aeneas from Troy , which led to the founding a hamlet south of...
against Turnus
Turnus
In Virgil's Aeneid, Turnus was the King of the Rutuli, and the chief antagonist of the hero Aeneas.-Biography:Prior to Aeneas' arrival in Italy, Turnus was the primary potential suitor of Lavinia, daughter of Latinus, King of the Latin people. Upon Aeneas' arrival, however, Lavinia is promised to...
and the other Latian tribes. The legend fits well with Lydus', as this Tarchon must been the younger, dating him to the century immediately after the Trojan War
Trojan War
In Greek mythology, the Trojan War was waged against the city of Troy by the Achaeans after Paris of Troy took Helen from her husband Menelaus, the king of Sparta. The war is among the most important events in Greek mythology and was narrated in many works of Greek literature, including the Iliad...
. Nothing in the archaeology of Tarquinii and the other cities of the league contradicts these legends, as they were all founded in Late Bronze Age/Early Iron Age contexts; i.e., in one round number, about 1000 BC. The legends indicate that Aeneas was not an Etruscan, that he arrived in an already existing Etruria, and that it is to be dated to before the Trojan War.
Dodecapoli
The Dodecapoli is:Ancient/Modern
- Arretium/ArezzoArezzoArezzo is a city and comune in Central Italy, capital of the province of the same name, located in Tuscany. Arezzo is about 80 km southeast of Florence, at an elevation of 296 m above sea level. In 2011 the population was about 100,000....
- Caere/CerveteriCerveteriCerveteri is a town and comune of the northern Lazio, in the province of Rome. Originally known as Caere , it is famous for a number of Etruscan necropolis that include some of the best Etruscan tombs anywhere....
- Clusium/ChiusiChiusiChiusi is a town and comune in province of Siena, Tuscany, Italy.-History:It was one of the more powerful among the Etruscan 12‑city confederation...
- Corito/CortonaCortonaCortona is a town and comune in the province of Arezzo, in Tuscany, Italy. It is the main cultural and artistic center of the Val di Chiana after Arezzo.-History:...
- Perusia/PerugiaPerugiaPerugia is the capital city of the region of Umbria in central Italy, near the River Tiber, and the capital of the province of Perugia. The city is located about north of Rome. It covers a high hilltop and part of the valleys around the area....
- Populonia
- Tarquinii/Tarquinia-Corneto (named after Tarchon the Younger)
- Vetulonia
- Volaterrae/VolterraVolterraVolterra, known to the ancient Etruscans as Velathri, to the Romans as Volaterrae, is a town and comune in the Tuscany region of Italy.-History:...
- Volsinii/OrvietoOrvietoOrvieto is a city and comune in Province of Terni, southwestern Umbria, Italy situated on the flat summit of a large butte of volcanic tuff...
- Vulci/VolciVolcithumb|250px|The Castle dell'Abbadia and the bridge.Volci or Vulci is an Etruscan city in the Province of Viterbo, north to Rome, Italy....
- Veii/Veio (an archaeological site)
Rusellae
Rusellae
Rusellae was an ancient town of Etruria , which survived until the Middle Ages before being abandoned. The ruins lie in the modern frazione of Roselle in the comune of Grosseto.-Geography:...
/Roselle is incorrectly considered to have been part of the league by some modern authors. Likewise, since Faesulae/Fiesole
Fiesole
Fiesole is a town and comune of the province of Florence in the Italian region of Tuscany, on a famously scenic height above Florence, 8 km NE of that city...
was probably founded in the 9th-8th century BC and the Dodecapoli was founded by the Lydia
Lydia
Lydia was an Iron Age kingdom of western Asia Minor located generally east of ancient Ionia in the modern Turkish provinces of Manisa and inland İzmir. Its population spoke an Anatolian language known as Lydian....
n brothers, Tyrsenos and Tarchon, who are both assumed to have lived in the 11th century BC, it is impossible that Faesulae was part of the league.