What is Cloelia known for?
Cloelia (Ancient Greek: Κλοιλία) was a legendary woman from the early history of ancient Rome. As part of the peace treaty which ended the war between Rome and Clusium in 508 BC, Roman hostages were taken by Lars Porsena.
Why did Cloelia escape Porsena’s camp?
She mounted a daring escape from the Etruscans, swimming across the Tiber to safety and helping many of her fellow captors. Fearing reprisals, the girls’ families sent them back to King Porsena’s camp, where he granted her and her companions freedom because of the bravery they had displayed in their escape.
Who wrote about Cloelia?
The 1st century Greco-Roman writer Plutarch in his Bravery of Women (14) has Cloelia lead a group of women who swim closely together through the deep eddies and rapid currents of the Tiber.
Who were the Etruscans in Rome?
Etruscan, member of an ancient people of Etruria, Italy, between the Tiber and Arno rivers west and south of the Apennines, whose urban civilization reached its height in the 6th century bce. Many features of Etruscan culture were adopted by the Romans, their successors to power in the peninsula.
What materials did the Etruscans work with in their artwork?
The Etruscans were very accomplished sculptors, with many surviving examples in terracotta, both small-scale and monumental, bronze, and alabaster. However, there is very little in stone, in contrast to the Greeks and Romans.
What is special about Etruscan sculpture?
The stylistic influences from the Greeks on Etruscan Archaic sculpture include the Archaic smile and the stylized patterning of hair and clothing. However, Etruscan sculpture was distinct. The figures had egg-shaped heads and almond eyes, were clothed, and their bodies had a higher degree of plasticity.
What is Etruscan art best known for?
The art of the Etruscans, who flourished in central Italy between the 8th and 3rd century BCE, is renowned for its vitality and often vivid colouring. Wall paintings were especially vibrant and frequently capture scenes of Etruscans enjoying themselves at parties and banquets.
What is the Etruscan gold book?
An ancient book comprising six pages of 23.82-karat gold (measuring 5 centimeters in length and 4.5 centimeters in width) bound together by gold rings. The plates contain a text written in Etruscan characters and also depict a horse, a horseman, a Siren, a lyre, and soldiers.
What is the Etruscan masterpiece?
The Sarcophagus of Seianti Hanunia Tlesnasa, 150–140 BC, a masterpiece of Etruscan art in terracotta, now at the British Museum. The Orator, or Aule Metele (“L’Arringatore” in Italian), bronze found in Umbria now at the National Archaeological Museum (Florence))
Who is Cloelia and what did she do?
It is noteworthy that two ancient works of military history, Florus’ Epitoma and Polyaenus’ Strategika (31), mention Cloelia. The 1st century Greco-Roman writer Plutarch in his Bravery of Women (14) has Cloelia lead a group of women who swim closely together through the deep eddies and rapid currents of the Tiber.
What did Porsena promise to do with Cloelia?
Anyway, to get back to the story: Porsena also promised that once Cloelia and the other women were returned, he would send Cloelia back to Rome. The Romans kept their word and returned the hostages. Cloelia was allowed to go back to Rome, and Porsena also permitted her to choose a number of hostages to take with her.
Why was Cloelia important to the Roman Republic?
Cloelia reappears in Roman historical writing (including historical episodes in poetry) as a figure willing to die for the city republic of Rome. The story seems to exemplify the acquisition of virtus (manly courage, virtue; in Greek arete) and fortitudo (bravery) by women in the minds of Roman writers.
How is Cloelia related to Mucius and Cocles?
As Hemelrijk (2004: 89) argues, Cloelia is presented as possessing ‘a male brain within a female body’. In addition, throughout Roman history and literature, Cloelia’s actions are linked to and compared with those of Cocles or Mucius, despite her actions being independent of theirs.