The Tyrrheni, then, are called among the Romans "Etrusci" and "Tusci". The Greeks, however, so the story goes, named them thus after Tyrrhenus, the son of Atys, who sent forth colonists hither from Lydia: At a time of famine and dearth of crops, Atys, one of the descendants of Heracles and Omphale, having only two children, by a casting of lots detained one of them, Lydus, and, assembling the greater part of the people with the other, Tyrrhenus, sent them forth. And when Tyrrhenus came, he not only called the country Tyrrhenia after himself, but also put Tarco in charge as "coloniser," and founded twelve cities; Tarco, I say, after whom the city of Tarquinia70 is named, who, on account of his sagacity from boyhood, is said by the myth-tellers to have been born with grey hair. Now at first the Tyrrheni, since they were subject to the orders of only one ruler, were very strong, but in later times, it is reasonable to suppose, their united government was dissolved, and the Tyrrheni, yielding to the violence of their neighbours, were broken up into separate cities; for otherwise they would not have given up a happy land and taken to the sea as pirates, different bands turning to different parts of the high seas; indeed, in all cases where they acted in concert, they were able, p339not only to defend themselves against those who attacked them, but also to attack in turn and to make long expeditions. But it was after the founding of Rome that Demaratus arrived, bringing with him a host of people from Corinth; and, since he was received by the Tarquinians,71 he married a native woman, by whom he begot Lucumo.
Among the Greeks, however, this city was in good repute both for bravery and for righteousness; for it not only abstained from all piracy, but also set up at Pytho80 what is called "the treasury81 of the Agyllaei"; for what is now Caerea was formerly called Agylla, and is said to have been founded by Pelasgi who had come from Thessaly. But when those Lydians whose name was changed to Tyrrheni marched against the Agyllaei, one of them approached the wall and inquired what the name of the city was, and when one of the Thessalians on the wall, instead of replying to the inquiry, saluted him with a "Chaere,"83 the Tyrrheni accepted the omen, and, on capturing the city, changed its name accordingly. But the city, once so splendid and illustrious, now preserves mere traces of its former self; and the hot springs near by, which are called Caeretanian p343Springs,84 have a greater population than it has — because of those who visit the Springs for the cure.85
Pjeset e nenvizuara jane mjaft kuptimplote. Etrusket ne pjesen derrmuese nuk ishin gje tjeter vecse lidiane, te cilet morren boten ne sy si pasoje e fatkeqesive te njepasnjeshme. Etnonimi i mevonshem - tirrhen - duhet te jete marre me vone, sugjeron Straboni.
Shpejt, tirrenet e vendosur ne Itali do te humbasin fuqine e tyre, duke iu nenshtruar fqinjeve agresive. Kjo mund te kete ndikuar ne tjetersimin relativ te tyre nga bota ilire.
Nderkaq, pasazhi i fundit le te nenkuptohet per afrine gjuhesore midis pellazgeve thesale dhe tirreneve, perderisa dy kampe kundershtare ishiun ne gjendje te kuptoheshin edhe ne momente te veshtira lufte....
