Volsinii or Vulsinii (Etruscan: Velzna or Velusna; Greek: Ouolsinioi, Ὀυολσίνιοι, Ὀυολσίνιον) were the names of two ancient cities in Etruria. One was located on the shore of Lacus Volsiniensis, which is now called Lago di Bolsena. The other was situated along the Via Clodia, between Clusium (modern Chiusi) and Forum Cassii (modern Vetralla). The city on the Via Clodia was Etruscan and was destroyed by the Romans in 264 BC after its enslaved people tried to rebel. The city near Lago di Bolsena was later built by the Romans using Etruscan people who had escaped the destroyed city.

Modern Bolsena, Italy, in the region of Lazio, originated from the Roman city. The exact location of the Etruscan city remains uncertain. Orvieto, an Umbrian city about 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) from Bolsena, is considered a likely site for the Etruscan city.

Location

The Byzantine historian Joannes Zonaras wrote that the Etruscan city of Volsinii was located on high ground. Today, the town of Bolsena sits in a flat area where the ancient Roman city of Volsinii once stood. Nineteenth-century scholars argued about the exact location of the high ground where Volsinii was. Wilhelm Ludwig Abeken searched for it at Montefiascone, a place 14 kilometers (8.7 miles) from Bolsena at the southern end of the lake. Karl Otfried Müller believed it was at Orvieto, 17 kilometers (11 miles) away, and used the Latin name of the town, Urbs Vetus, meaning "old city," to support his view. George Dennis, a British explorer and writer, thought the high ground was near the Roman city, on a hill above the amphitheater in Bolsena at a spot called Il Piazzano. He supported this idea by pointing out the presence of broken pottery and caves in the cliffs nearby.

Fanum Voltumnae was the most important religious site of the Etruscans. Many sources mention a group of twelve Etruscan communities that met yearly at Fanum, possibly to choose priests. The exact location of this shrine is still unknown, though it may have been near modern-day Orvieto, which many believe was the ancient site of Volsinii. Professor Simonetta Stopponi of the University of Macerata, an expert in Etruscan studies, has been excavating at Orvieto since 2000. She believes Fanum was located there.

An Etruscan structure, dating to the 6th–4th centuries BC, has been discovered. The most notable find was a circular fountain area on a slight rise above the temples. The fountain had decorations, including the head of a lion. Stopponi said, "This would have been the sacred spring."

History

Etruscan Volsinii, also known as Velzna or Velusna, or sometimes Volsinii Veteres (Old Volsinii), was one of the most powerful cities in Etruria. It was an important religious center for the god Voltumna and likely one of the 12 cities in the Etruscan confederation. Livy and Valerius Maximus called it one of the "heads of Etruria." Juvenal described it as a city located among hills covered with trees.

Volsinii first appeared in Roman records after the fall of Veii in 396 BC. In 391 BC, the people of Volsinii, along with the Salpinates, took advantage of a famine and disease in Rome to attack Roman lands. They were defeated, and 8,000 of them were captured. However, they later bought a 20-year truce by returning stolen goods and paying the Roman army for a year.

In 310 BC, Volsinii joined other Etruscan cities, except Arretium (modern Arezzo), in attacking Sutrium (modern Sutri), a city allied with Rome. The Etruscans were defeated at the First Battle of Lake Vadimo, a major loss for their power. Three years later, the Roman consul Publius Decius Mus captured several Volsinian fortresses. In 295 BC, Lucius Postumius Megellus attacked their lands and defeated them near their city, killing 2,800 people. As a result, Volsinii, along with Perusia (modern Perugia) and Arretium, paid a heavy fine to buy 40 years of peace.

Within 14 years, Volsinii, with the help of the Vulcientes, attacked Rome again. This attempt failed, and they were finally conquered in 280 BC. Pliny wrote that the Romans captured Volsinii to take control of 2,000 statues there, a story that shows the city's wealth and artistic achievements. Valerius Maximus also noted that the city's luxury led to its downfall, as it made the people too lazy to govern themselves properly.

The revolution began around 280 BC when freedmen (former slaves) were allowed into the army. These freedmen became a strong group of common people who later joined the Senate and held public offices. They passed laws that limited the power of the patrician class (wealthy families). Other slaves were freed, and they claimed rights like marriage and inheritance that had been reserved for Etruscans. This caused conflicts, including reports of theft and violence.

In 265 BC, the revolutionary group tried to pass laws that limited patrician power. The leaders of Volsinii sent secret messengers to Rome for help but were executed for treason. Soon after, a Roman army attacked the city. The battle was fierce, and the Roman general Quintus Fabius Gurges was killed. A year later, the Roman general Marcus Fulvius Flaccus forced the city to surrender by starving its people. He destroyed the city and executed the leaders of the revolution. Some freedmen from Volsinii were used as gladiators in Rome in 264 BC. The Romans saved the remaining Etruscans of Volsinii but moved them to a new city near Lake Bolsena. This new city had no natural defenses and was not independent. The valuable items from the old city were taken to Rome.

The new city, sometimes called Volsinii Novi (New Volsinii), existed during the Roman Empire. It was the birthplace of Sejanus, a close advisor to Emperor Tiberius. Juvenal mentioned this in his writings, noting that Sejanus's fortune was tied to Nursia, an Etruscan goddess worshipped in Volsinii. A nail was driven into her temple each year, like the one in Rome’s Temple of Jupiter. Pliny recorded strange events in Volsinii, such as lightning striking to destroy a monster named Volta. Even the invention of hand-mills, which originated there, was said to have turned on their own by magic.

Remains

No clear evidence of the Etruscan city of Volsinii has been found. Some remains of the Roman city still exist in Bolsena. The most notable remains include a temple near the Florence gate, often called the Tempio di Norsia. However, these remains are from Roman times, and the actual temple to the goddess likely stood in the Etruscan city. The amphitheater is small and completely ruined. Other remains include parts of ancient baths, gravestones, and a stone coffin with carvings showing the triumph of Bacchus. The Monti Volsini mountain range in northern Lazio is named after the ancient city.

Coinage

The people of Volsinii made coins during ancient times. More information about these coins can be found in the book Etrusker by Müller, volume 1, pages 324 and 333.