adelyn

According to Livy, Dionysius and the other Annalists there were seven kings: Romulus, Numa Pompilius, Tullus Hostilius, Ancus Marcius, Lucomo Tarquinius, Servius Tullius and finally Tarquinius Superbus. Only the two Tarquins were Etruscan - the others were all Latins (Romulus and Hostilius being Romans proper and Numa and Ancus being Sabines with Servius probably being a Roman but with some legends claiming him to be a freedman). Also, the tradition has Lucomo coming to Rome as a wealthy Etruscan merchant who befriended Ancus rather than as an Etruscan invader or heir to an already Etruscan throne, and as the Roman throne was elected not inherited this does not appear to break with the idea of a 'free' Rome. Tarquinius Superbus, however, did take the throne violently, legitimating his succession through his grandfather Lucomo and his marriage to Servius' daughter. The violence at the dawn of his era and the Etruscan reaction to his ousting would suggest temporary Etruscan dominance of Rome, but this is a relatively small period of Rome's regal history. There are two very interesting articles on this topic in the Cambridge Ancient History Series volume 7 by H Last