ETRUSCAN COUNTRYSIDE

   The definition of the Etruscan countryside presupposes the existence of the city, and thus can be formally defined as existing from the sixth century BC. This is also the period when a dramatic increase in population within the countryside can be registered, although the relative population in the countryside and town may have fluctuated considerably over time, depending on the power at the center. Studies of the countryside have expanded in recent years and include important work in southeast Etruria, in the territories of Caere and Tuscania, in the Albegna and Cecina valleys, and of various map sheets in the Siena region, notably around Monte Amiata and Murlo. Relatively few settlements in the countryside have been excavated, but they include Podere Tartucchio, Montereggi, and Pietriccoli.