Dennis, George: The cities and cemeteries of Etruria: in two volumes (Band 1) (London, 1848)

504

BOLSENA.

[chap. XXVII.

one of the most ancient,5 most wealthy, and most powerful
cities of Etruria,6 and without doubt one of the Twelve
of the Confederation.7

The first mention we find of Volsinii in ancient writers
is in the year of Rome 362 (b. c. 392), shortly after the
fall of Veii, when, in conjunction with Salpinum, a neigh-
bouring town, it took the occasion of a famine and pesti-
lence that had desolated the Roman territory, to make
hostile incursions. But these were soon checked; the
Volsinienses were beaten, Livy says, with great ease, and
8,000 men laid down their arms, and were glad to
purchase a truce of twenty years on humiliating terms.8

Volsinii, with the rest of the Etruscan States, took part
in the war which broke out in the year 443 (b. c. 311),
commencing with the siege of Sutrium,9 and after the fatal
overthrow on the Vadimonian lake,1 which must have been
in the territory of Volsinii, we find it stated that Publius

be most happy. Passeri (de Etrus.
Funere, p. 102, ap. Gori Mus. Etrus.
III.) accounts for the absence of coins
of Volsinii, by a passage of Livy (X. 37),
which states that the Romans exacted a
large tribute from the city. It is diffi-
cult to believe him to be serious.

5 Zonar. Annal. VIII. 7.

6 Plin. N. H. II. 53; Val. Max.
IX. 1; Flor. I. 21 ; Liv. X. 37 ; cf.
Plin. XXXIV. 16.

7 Livy (loc. cit.) ranks it with Arre-
tium and Perusia, as among the " capita
Etrurke ;" and Valerius Maximus also
(loc. cit.) so designates it. Pliny (II. 54),
however, speaks of Porsenna as king of
Volsinii, which might be interpreted
into a dependence on Chiusi, but per-
haps indicates merely a connection.
Miiller (Etrusk. einl. 2, 17) is of opinion
that after the fall of Tarquinii, Volsinii
was probably the mightiest state of
Etruria.

8 Liv. V. 31, 32 ; Diod. XIV. p. 319,
ed Rhod. The latter writer states that
the battle was fought at Gurasium,
which Cluver (II. p. 557) regards as a
corruption of some better known name.
Niebuhr (III. p. 274) says it is clear,
from the feeble way in which the war of
368 was carried on, that it was the
enterprise of Volsinii alone. But this
city is not mentioned by Livy (VI. 9,10),
who records the events of that war.

Miiller (Etrusk. einl. 2. 15. n. 124)
thinks that] the Solonium mentioned by
Dionysius (III. p. 104) as an Etruscan
city, whence a Lueumo, probably Ceeles
Vibenna, came to the assistance of
Romulus, was Volsinii. Cluver (II.
pp. 454, 473), however, thinks Vetnlo-
nium is here the true reading ; while
others would have it Populonium.

9 Liv. IX. 32.
1 Liv. IX. 39.