ETON

(51° 29’ N., 0° 37’ W.), town, Bucking hams hire, on N. bank of Thames opposite Windsor; famous for Coll. founded by Henry VI. 1440 and completed next century; beautiful old build-. ings including quadrangles and chapel; many additions since; new buildings (opened by Edward VII.) have library and cla ical museum. Among famous Etonians were: Chas am, Fox, Canning, Gladstone, Shelley, the Walpoles, and Wellington. Pop. 3,100. a district of ancient Italy, probably including in early times N. Italy, between Alps and Tiber, but later reduced to district bounded by the Arno, A pennines, and the Tiber. Formerly inhabited by Etruscans—a powerful people of whose history little reliable is known, and whose origin is much disputed. Etruscans’ own account was that they came from Lybia and formed a mixed race with the Rasena, who emigrated from N. Italy; modern critics incline to the view that a Pelasgic race subdued the Umbrians and were conquered by Rhaetian people, called Rasena. Etruria was divided into three great nations occupying Circumpadane Etruria in N.; Etruria Proper in centre; and Camp an i a in S. Time when Etruscan civilisation began is calculated from objects found in tombs, at about 1000 B.C. Little is known of history, but before VII cent. EK. probably held sway over Mantua, Felsina, Melpum, and perhaps Latium and Camp an i a; last three kings of Rome were Etruscans. After expulsion of Tarquins, E. strove in vain to get foothold in Rome under Lars Porsena of Clusium; was subjected to Rome in 283, and ultimately defeated by Q. Fabius Maximus at battle of Vade mon i an Lake (c. 310); after this E. gradually lost independence and was absorbed in the Roman State. A former treaty with Carthage, by which E.—who held power over shipping in Tyrrhenian Sea—got Corsica and Carthage Sardinia, proves their one-time proud position. E. was once thickly populated with well-distributed towns, of which the chief were: Veii, Tarquinii, Falerii, ulonium. The people were great warriors, and the country drew much wealth from its agriculture and forestry, for which the land was exceedingly well adapted, with rich soil for crops and cattle; fine tracts of forests; and the three rivers, Arnus, Umbro, and Tiber. E. also ama ed great wealth by her commerce, and became an important centre for foreign traders. Etruscans were not brilliant in art, but pictures and statuary are of good standard; best paintings and fine gold and silver ornaments found at Tarquinii, Etruscan language disappeared after the III. cent. B.C.