Paulien Oltheten is in Rome. She’s studying the city—its rhythm, its movement.
And she’s delving into the world of the Etruscans. They once lived here, nearby.
They too moved to the pulse of the hills.
Perhaps they still have something to teach us—
Maybe those old Etruscans can offer political inspiration. Could they point us toward a different kind of democracy? One that fits our time?
I did some light research. Online, in a few books.
Interim conclusion: the Etruscans weren’t that wise, nor that egalitarian.
Their society was, yes, marginally less misogynistic than that of the Romans.
Then again, what was I hoping to find?
Honestly? I’ll just invent here what I wanted to read.
Five things we could learn from the Etruscans:
1. Living together = a shared weekly rhythm
Each day of the week was marked by a communal activity. The rhythm:
MON – sweep the streets together
TUE – make some decisions
WED – market day
THU – crafts day
FRI – sauna in the town square
SAT – apology day (sincere atonements for the week’s missteps) and olive-oil wrestling matches, for and with everyone—young and old
SUN – ecstatic drawing on walls and streets
2. Instrumental anonymity
When it came to governance, the Etruscans embraced radical equality.
In public spaces—courts, streets, town halls, the senate—people wore colorful, lumpy clothing that revealed nothing about gender or background.
Some moved around in wheeled boxes.
Communication in public was done silently, so no voice could betray social status or identity.
The council chamber resembled a kind of peep show: each person in a booth around a central space where proposals were shared. People cast colored stones to show agreement, dissent, or the need for more nuance.
3. The place of seeing
The Etruscans had yet another kind of public space: the place of seeing (Xe#tnosza plieki).
The Etruscans had a second kind of public space: the place of seeing (Xe#tnosza plieki). Markets, theaters, libraries, even their rudimentary public transport were such spaces. There, people appeared as they wished: dressed in anything from concealing to revealing, adorned with color, scent, hair, jewelry, and ornaments. It was customary to compliment each other as creatively as possible on style and presence.
4. Good food
Much of today’s Italian cuisine owes itself to Etruscan cooking.
Every Etruscan cooked—every day.
If anything was sacred, it was the kitchen.
Garlic, fresh herbs, cheese, sun-ripened tomatoes—these were the foundation of each dish.
Tupperware didn’t exist, so people ate until everything was gone. Then they cleaned up together, accompanied by the swaying rhythm of the Etruscan flute.
5. Eh no thank you no
Every citizen had the right to withdraw from collective life. No questions asked.
Until October 30, Paulien Oltheten is in residence at The American Academy in Rome.