Beekes R.S.P. The Origin of the Etruscans

Amsterdam: Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, 2003. — 59 p.What if Herodotus was right, and the Etruscans actually did come from Lydia? Beekes argues that they did, but “Lydia” was not the same place as in Herodotus’ own day. It is a clever argument which accounts for various facts: the references to Tyrsenians in Asia Minor, the social changes in Etruria around the beginning of the Late Bronze Age, the Homeric name Meiones referring to the Lydians, and of course the Lemnos inscriptions.
Beekes, an Indo-Europeanist, relies on evidence from literature, history, and linguistics. Beekes’ theory is that the Etruscans originally lived in north-western Asia Minor, along with the Lydians. Around 1200 BC, as part of the general upheaval at this time, the Phrygians moved into this area, displacing the inhabitants. The Lydians went south, to the area where they are found in classical times; the Etruscans crossed the sea to Italy.
Anne Mahoney, Etruscan Studies, 2008, Volume 11, Issue 1, p. 171-174.