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===Etruscan influence on Roman Religion===
Little is known about the nature of Etruscan religion but many writers have declared it to be ‘gloomy’. It seems that the exact influence of Etruscan religion and myths on Rome will never be known. It seems that the Romans did adopt some Etruscan deities and demons. These demons were eventually transmitted to the Christians.<ref> Bonfante, Larissa. "An Etruscan Demon in Pompeii." In <i>KOINE: Mediterranean Studies in Honor of R. Ross Holloway</i>, edited by Counts Derek B. and Tuck Anthony S., 96-99. (Oxford; Oakville: Oxbow Books, 2009), p. 97</ref> The Etuscans were renowned for their oracles and prophecies. One of the Tarquin kings purchased the Syballine books, that became the prophetic literature of Rome from an Etruscan temple. Oracles played a very important part in the religion of Rome.<ref>"Gods in Harmony: The Etruscan Pantheon." <i>In The Religion of the Etruscans</i>, edited by Simon Erika, De Grummond Nancy Thomson, and Simon Erika, (University of Texas Press, 2006), p. 45</ref> Many of these oracles were of Etruscan origin and these were known as the Haruspices. This was the art of interpreting the will of the Gods. Soothsayers form Etruria were very much in demand and seemed to have passed on their skills to the local Roman priests. The Etruscan soothsayers could allegedly understand the will of the Gods by observing phenomenon such as lightning. Another Etruscan method for understanding the wishes of the Gods was the examination of the internal organs of sacrificed animals. One of the more curious Etruscan traditions was the observing of the way some sacred chickens ate their food to understand the divine will. Even after the Etruscan kings were expelled the Romans still respected the oracles of the Etruscans. The Roman Senate ordained that the Etruscan oracles and ceremonies be maintained in perpetuity by the state and they were practiced by Roman priests until the Christian era.<ref> Franklin-Hall, p. 119</ref>
===Etruscans and Gladiators===
The Etruscan religion, had one unexpected influence on Rome and that was the development of the custom of gladiator contests. It appears that it was a custom among many Etruscan city-states that they forced men to fight to the death at the funeral of a noble or a king. The men usually fought to the death and the blood of the slain fighter was a sacrifice to the deities of the underworld. The Romans seemed to have adopted this custom sometime during the period of the Tarquin kings. The Romans largely secularized the custom of men fighting although it retained some religious symbolism such as the presence of an attendant dressed as the divinity Hermes<ref> Bennett, Joseph. "The Gladiators." <i>The Hudson Review</i> 12, no. 2 (1959): 167-74</ref>. The Romans over the course of the centuries took what was essentially an Etruscan religious ceremony and turned it into a gory public sporting event.
