Abstract

In this work the ancient peoples that partecipated to the foundation of Bologna are studied. In particular, the Etruscans are considered as a confederation of tribes belonging to two distinct lineages descending from Proto-Altaic and Proto-Indo-European peoples. In Bologna territory the members of these lineages were identified as Rasna and Velsna, or, in the dialect of the latter, Ravona and Volvona. Before Etruscans, the territory around Bologna was inhabitated by Proto-Scythians and Proto-Umbrians. The role of all these peoples in the Bologna foundation is then investigated and referred to the archaeological finds discovered in the area.