Economy, 580-450 BCE

This chapter reviews the evidence for the mainstays of the Etruscan economy during the Archaic and early Classical periods. In order to form a picture of the domestic economy, Etruscan agricultural production as well as the collection and processing of metal resources are considered. The economy of this period is also robust due to the system of cabotage along the Etruscan coast and the emporia that flourished at this time. Important evidence can be gleaned about the littoral trade by reviewing evidence from these emporia, as well as shipwrecks, epigraphic and iconographic sources, and the ubiquitous “Etruscan pirates.” Different methods of exchange, from bartering to the use of coinage, which first appears in this time, is also presented. While this period marks a highpoint for Etruscan international commerce, beginning in the early fifth century, the pattern of international trade changes significantly. This chapter assesses this changing commercial scene in southern coastal Etruria as well as in northern areas (i.e. Populonia and the Po Plain).