With the conquest of Vei in 396 BC, Rome begins to incorporate into his power the Etruscan lands and people.Romans have been always in contact with the Etruscans who lived on the other side of the Tiber river and in the North of Rome. The history of Rome has been characterized by almost 200 years in which Etruscan rulers such as the Tarquins imposed Etruscan customs in Rome.On the other hand, an example on the progressive assimilation of Roman customs by the Etruscans is the famous bronzed statue called "The Orator" which is dated second century BCE. The statue is indeed a mix of Etruscan and Roman instances. First of all, the material used to create the statue, bronze, is a peculiar example of Etruscan craftmanship. Suffice it to say that Etruscans used two main materials for their free standing statues: the terracotta and the bronze. Secondly, the toga in which he is dressed recalls the toga of the Apollo of Veii and is another Etruscan component that the Romans got from the Etruscans.In addition, the boots worn by this man, who seems to have been a magistrate in ancient Rome, are Etruscan and were adopted by the Romans under the name of Calcei. The hem of the toga presents a carved inscription that reveals the idenntity of the magistrate: the Etruscan inscription says:"For Aulus Metellus, son of Vel and Vesia. Statue dedicated in recognition of his service to the public". What is indeed Roman in this almost entirely Etruscan work is the gesture of the adlocutio which refers to the act of speaking in public by a magistrate and the veristic expression of the man's face.Aulus Metellus is represented in his mid 40s with wrinkles on his face and with his hairs well trimmed.The portrait is a commemorative work and is in line with the Roman habit of displaying funerary portraits made out of wax masks in their houses ( Ius Imaginum) and brought in procession during public funerals as well. His expression conveys the idea of Metellus coming from an old and illustrious family that was in that period subject to the process of Romanization. In conclusion, the statue shows a sort of "new Roman citizen" who is not coming directly from Rome but has been naturalized during this process of integration of the Italic families into the new rules set up by Rome.
