Built by Etruscans, the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus (509 BC) is the largest Etruscan-style temple in the world

Episode 9 Sanctuaries and Temples

The Mysterious Etruscans

Dr Steven L Tuck (2016)

Film Review

Etruscan rulers spent massive amounts on religious sanctuaries, with many dating from the 6th century BC. Ceverteri on the west coast of central Italy, was one of the largest. It was dedicated to Une/Astarte. A goddess equivalent to the Semitic goddess Ishtar, Une was her Etruscan name, and Astarte her Phoenician name (Ceverteri was visited frequently by Phoenician traders).

The Etruscans overthrew the kings and aristocrats who ruled them in the 6th century BC, and the building of religious sanctuaries was part of the public works programs started by their new republican leaders.

They were extremely competitive with their Greek neighbors in the size of their sanctuaries and some had multiple temples. Smaller than those of the Greeks, their temples were built of wood (as opposed to marble) and covered with terra cotta tiles to protect them from rain damage. The Romans went on to build Etruscan-style temples in Egypt and Morocco.

Film can be viewed free with a library card on Kanopy,

https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/239710/239625