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Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, also called Tarquin the Elder or Tarquin I, was the fifth King of Rome from 616 BC to 579 BC. His wife was Tanaquil
Tanaquil

Tanaquil was the wife of Tarquinius Priscus, fifth List of kings of Rome of Rome. They had four children, two daughters and two sons. One of the daughters became the wife to Servius Tullius, when he became the successor....
.

According to Livy
Livy

Titus Livius , known as Livy in English language, was a Ancient Rome historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome, Ab Urbe Condita, from its founding through the reign of Augustus in Livy's own time....
, Tarquinius Priscus came from the Etruscan
Etruria

Etruria — usually referred to in Greek language and Latin language source texts as Tyrrhenia — was a region of Central Italy, an area that covered part of what now are Tuscany, Latium, Emilia-Romagna and Umbria....
 city of Tarquinii. Livy claims that his first name Lucius was a Latinization of his original Etruscan name Lucumo, but since Lucumo (Etruscan
Etruscan language

The Etruscan language was spoken and written by the Etruscan civilization in the ancient region of Etruria and in parts of Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna , in Italy....
 Lauchme) is the Etruscan word for "King", there is reason to believe that Priscus' name and title have been confused in the official tradition.






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Lucius Tarquinius Priscus, also called Tarquin the Elder or Tarquin I, was the fifth King of Rome from 616 BC to 579 BC. His wife was Tanaquil
Tanaquil

Tanaquil was the wife of Tarquinius Priscus, fifth List of kings of Rome of Rome. They had four children, two daughters and two sons. One of the daughters became the wife to Servius Tullius, when he became the successor....
.

According to Livy
Livy

Titus Livius , known as Livy in English language, was a Ancient Rome historian who wrote a monumental history of Rome, Ab Urbe Condita, from its founding through the reign of Augustus in Livy's own time....
, Tarquinius Priscus came from the Etruscan
Etruria

Etruria — usually referred to in Greek language and Latin language source texts as Tyrrhenia — was a region of Central Italy, an area that covered part of what now are Tuscany, Latium, Emilia-Romagna and Umbria....
 city of Tarquinii. Livy claims that his first name Lucius was a Latinization of his original Etruscan name Lucumo, but since Lucumo (Etruscan
Etruscan language

The Etruscan language was spoken and written by the Etruscan civilization in the ancient region of Etruria and in parts of Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna , in Italy....
 Lauchme) is the Etruscan word for "King", there is reason to believe that Priscus' name and title have been confused in the official tradition. Disgruntled with his opportunities in Etruria, he migrated to Rome
Rome

Rome is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city, with 2,724,347 residents in an urban area of some ....
 with his wife Tanaquil
Tanaquil

Tanaquil was the wife of Tarquinius Priscus, fifth List of kings of Rome of Rome. They had four children, two daughters and two sons. One of the daughters became the wife to Servius Tullius, when he became the successor....
, at her suggestion. He had been prohibited from obtaining political office in Tarquinii because of the ethnicity of his father, Demaratus the Corinthian
Demaratus the Corinthian

Demaratus the Corinthian was the father of Tarquinius Priscus, the fifth King of Rome and the grandfather of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus, the seventh and last king....
, who came from the Greek
Greece

Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , is a country in southeastern Europe, situated on the southern end of the Balkans. It has borders with Albania, Bulgaria and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to the north, and Turkey to the east....
 city of Corinth
Corinth

Corinth, or Korinth Corinth is now the capital of the Prefectures of Greece of Corinthia. The city is surrounded by the coastal townlets of Lechaio, Isthmia, Kechries, and the inland townlets of Examilia and the archaeological site....
. Legend has it that on his arrival in Rome in a chariot
Chariot

The chariot is the earliest and simplest type of carriage, used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Chariots were built in Mesopotamia by the Mesopotamians as early as 3000 BC and in China during the 2nd millennium BC....
, an eagle took his cap, flew away and then returned it back upon his head. Tanaquil, who was skilled in prophecy, interpreted this as an omen
Omen

An omen is a phenomenon that is believed to foretell the future, often signifying the advent of change. Omens may be considered "good" or "bad", but the term is more often used in a foreboding sense, as with the word "ominous"....
 of his future greatness.

In Rome he attained great respect through generosity and skill. King Ancus Marcius
Ancus Marcius

Ancus Marcius was the fourth of the Kings of Rome, possibly a legendary figure.Like Numa Pompilius, his reputed maternal grandfather , he was a friend of peace and religion, but was obliged to make war to defend his territories....
 himself noticed him and adopted him as his son, also appointing him guardian of his other sons. After the death of Ancus Marcius, Tarquinius Priscus was able to convince the People's Assembly
Roman assemblies

The Legislative Assemblies of the Roman Republic were political institutions in the ancient Roman Republic. According to the contemporary historian Polybius, it was the people who had the final say regarding the election of magistrates, the enactment of new Roman laws, the carrying out of capital punishment, the declaration of war and peace...
 that he should be elected king over Marcius' natural sons.

His military ability was immediately tested by an attack from the Sabines. The attack was defeated after dangerous street fighting in Rome, and he then further subjugated the Etruscans. Thus the cities Corniculum, Firulea, Cameria, Crustumerium
Crustumerium

Crustumerium was an ancient town of Latium, on the edge of the Sabine territory, near the headwaters of the Allia, not far from the Tiber.It appears several times in the early history of Rome, but was conquered in 500 BC according to Livy , the tribus Crustumina or Clustumina being formed in 471 BC....
, Americola, Medullia and Nomentum became Roman. After each of his wars, which were always extremely successful, he brought rich plunder to Rome. He doubled the size of the Centuriate Assembly to 1800 people, and added another hundred men to the Senate from the ranks of the lower classes. Among them was the family of the Octavii
Octavii

The 'Octavii' were a Roman gens, most famous for producing Gaius Octavius and his son Augustus . Suetonius writes of them :There are many indications that the Octavian family was in days of old a distinguished one at Velitrae; for not only was a street in the most frequented part of town long ago called Octavian, but an altar was shown the...
, the family of the future first emperor Augustus.

He also concerned himself further with state festivals and with the expansion of the state. At first he erected the Circus Maximus
Circus Maximus

The Circus Maximus is an ancient hippodrome and mass entertainment venue located in Rome. Situated in the valley between the Aventine Hill and Palatine Hill hills, it was the first and largest circus in ancient Rome....
 as a separate building for horse racing. Previously the spectators watched the races between the Aventine and Palatine
Palatine Hill

The Palatine Hill is the centermost of the Seven Hills of Rome and is one of the most ancient parts of the city. It stands 40 metres above the Roman Forum, looking down upon it on one side, and upon the Circus Maximus on the other....
 hills sitting on wooden platforms at best. From then on large games were regularly organized there.

After a great flood, the damp lowlands of Rome were drained by the construction of the Cloaca Maxima
Cloaca Maxima

The Cloaca Maxima was one of the world's earliest sewage systems. Constructed in ancient Rome in order to drain local marshes and remove the waste of one of the world's most populous city, it carried an effluent to the River Tiber, which ran beside the city....
 (great sewer) to create a site for the Forum Romanum. As his last great act he began the construction of a temple in honour of Jupiter Optimus Maximus on the Capitoline Hill
Capitoline Hill

The Capitoline Hill , between the Roman Forum and the Campus Martius, is one of the seven hills of Rome of Rome. By the 16th century, Capitolinus had become Campidoglio in the Romanesco....
, partially funded by plunder seized from the Latins
Latins

Latins can refer to several groups of people. Its meaning has changed throughout time, and can still refer to different things even today....
 and Sabine
Sabine

The Sabines were an Ancient Italic peoples tribe that lived in ancient Italy, inhabiting Latium before the founding of Rome. Their language belonged to the Osco-Umbrian languages subgroup of Italic languages and shows some similarities to Oscan language and Umbrian language....
s. Many of the Roman symbols both of war and of civil office date from his reign, and he was the first to celebrate a Roman triumph
Roman triumph

A Roman triumph was a civil religion and religious rite of ancient Rome, held to publically celebrate the achievements of an army commander who had won great military successes, originally and traditionally, who had successfully completed a war....
, after the Etruscan
Etruscan civilization

Etruscan civilization is the modern English name given to the culture and way of life of a people of ancient Italy and Corsica whom the ancient Romans called Etrusci or Tusci....
 fashion, wearing a robe of purple and gold, and borne on a chariot drawn by four horses.

Meanwhile the now adult sons of his predecessor Ancus Marcius thought that the throne should fall to them. Thus they arranged for Tarquinius Priscus to be assassinated with an axe blow to the head. Thanks to the intelligent foresight of the queen Tanaquil
Tanaquil

Tanaquil was the wife of Tarquinius Priscus, fifth List of kings of Rome of Rome. They had four children, two daughters and two sons. One of the daughters became the wife to Servius Tullius, when he became the successor....
 however, the sons of Ancus were not chosen, but rather Tarquinius' son-in-law Servius Tullius
Servius Tullius

Servius Tullius was the sixth legendary Roman king of ancient Rome and the second king of the Etruria dynasty. The traditional dates of his reign are 578-535 BC....
, husband of his daughter Tarquinia, was elected as his successor. Tarquinius reigned for 38 years. His other daughter Tarquinia married Marcus Junius Brutus, and his sons were Lucius Tarquinius Superbus
Lucius Tarquinius Superbus

Lucius Tarquinius Superbus was the last of the seven legendary kings of Rome, son of Tarquinius Priscus and son-in-law of Servius Tullius, the sixth king....
 and Aruns Tarquinius, who married his niece Tullia, daughter of Servius Tullius, and by her was murdered along with his sister-in-law Tullia so that she could marry her brother-in-law and uncle Lucius Tarquinius Superbus.

Tarquinius Family Tree