Search the Community

The Battle of Alalia (540 BCE) was a Pyrrhic victory for the Greeks who defeated a joint Etruscan and Carthaginian force in a naval battle off the coast of Corsica. The victorious but weakened Greeks were soon forced to withdraw from the area. These Greeks then escaped to southern Italy where they apparently brought some of their spoils of victory. A recent dig at Velia near Paestrum, Italy south of Naples unearthed arms and other interesting artifacts including an Etruscan helmet. These are thought to date to the Battle of Alalia: “Alongside the pottery, the temple floor also contained several bronze and iron weapons. There are, Scelza says, many fragments of weapons, including what appear to be pieces of a large decorated shield and two splendid helmets in a perfect state of preservation: one Etruscan of the "shell" type, which experts call Negau from the Slovenian location where they were found for the first time, and the other of the Chalcidian type.” https://www.ansa.it/english/news/2022/02/01/helmets-arms-from-battle-of-alalia-found-at-velia_e9385207-5c62-4383-9222-127ca87c0222.html https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Alalia Here is a similar Etruscan (also called Negau) helmet found at the Etruscan necropolis of Vulci 75 miles from Rome. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.laprensalatina.com/unusual-inscription-found-inside-2400-year-old-etruscan-helmet/amp/