Visentium (also spelled Bisentium, Italian ''Bisenzio''
) was the Latin name of one of the minor
Etruscan cities. It was a boundary settlement on the southwestern shore of the
Lago di Bolsena and was settled from the Final
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
until the
Archaic period.
The
Etruscan __NOTOC__
Etruscan may refer to:
Ancient civilization
*The Etruscan language, an extinct language in ancient Italy
*Something derived from or related to the Etruscan civilization
**Etruscan architecture
**Etruscan art
**Etruscan cities
**Etruscan ...
name for Visentium was Vesnth, or Vishnth. It was called Visentium after the settlement was conquered by the Romans in 280 B.C.
During the Classical period, it fell under the orbit of the city of
Tarquinia
Tarquinia (), formerly Corneto, is an old city in the province of Viterbo, Lazio, Central Italy, known chiefly for its ancient Etruscan tombs in the widespread necropoleis, or cemeteries, for which it was awarded UNESCO World Heritage status. ...
.
The artifacts such as urns and other grave goods excavated from its various
necropoleis
A necropolis (plural necropolises, necropoles, necropoleis, necropoli) is a large, designed cemetery with elaborate tomb monuments. The name stems from the Ancient Greek ''nekropolis'', literally meaning "city of the dead".
The term usually im ...
are said to indicate its importance during the
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...
and the
Orientalizing period.
These provided insights on the settlers' dwellings and perishable belongings, which augmented their pottery and metal works.
The artifacts, particularly, the bronze objects also suggest that Visentium was influenced by
Vulci.
Legacy
The Italianized 'modern' form
Bisenzio gave its name to:
* a
Tuscan river, the
Bisenzio;
* a medieval Latin bishopric, which soon was renamed
Roman Catholic Diocese of Castro del Lazio.
References
Etruscan cities
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