Editing Veii (section)

===Conflict with Rome===
The documented history of Veii, like that of all Italian cities in their early centuries, is sparse and unreliable.

According to Livy (writing 700 years later) the [[Fidenae|Fidenates]] and the Veientes were [[Roman-Etruscan Wars#War with Fidenae and Veii under Romulus|defeated]] in a war with Rome  during the reign of [[Ancient Rome|Rome's]] mythical first king, [[Romulus]], in the 8th century BC.<ref>[[Livy]], ''[[Ab Urbe Condita Libri (Livy)|Ab urbe condita]]'', 1:14–15</ref>

[[Plutarch]] (writing even later in the 1st C. AD)<ref>Plutarch: Romulus</ref> says of them:<blockquote>The first (to oppose Romulus) were the Veientes, a people of Tuscany (the site is now in [[Lazio]]), who had large possessions, and dwelt in a spacious city; they took occasion to commence a war, by claiming Fidenae as belonging to them....<ref>However this account differs from [[Livy]]'s who refers to at least one war fought by Rome prior to the dispute with Veii, being the war with the Sabines and others arising out of the [[Rape of the Sabine Women]]</ref></blockquote>

[[File:Apollon de Véies.JPG|thumb|300px|Apollo of Veii, dating from around 510 BC, in the Villa Giulia museum of Rome.]]

Fidenae and Veii were said to have again been [[Roman-Etruscan Wars#Second War with Fidenae and Veii.2C under Tullus Hostilius|defeated]] by Rome in the 7th century BC during the reign of Rome's third king [[Tullus Hostilius]].

In the 6th century BC Rome's sixth king [[Servius Tullius]] [[Roman-Etruscan Wars#War with Veii and the Etruscans.2C under Servius Tullius|warred]] against Veii (after the expiry of an earlier truce) and the Etruscans. He is said to have shown valour in the campaign, and to have routed a great army of the enemy. The war helped him to cement his position at Rome.<ref>[[Livy]] ''[[Ab urbe condita (book)|Ab urbe condita]]'' 1.42</ref>

In 509&nbsp;BC, after the overthrow of the Roman monarchy, the family of Tarquinius Superbus went into exile in [[Caere]] in Etruria. Tarquin sought to regain the throne, at first by the [[Tarquinian conspiracy]] and, when that failed, by force of arms. He convinced the cities of [[Tarquinii]] and Veii to support him, and led their armies against Rome in the [[Battle of Silva Arsia]]. The Roman army was victorious, and it is recorded by [[Livy]] that although the forces of Tarquinii fought well on the right wing, initially pushing back the Roman left wing, the Veientes on the left wing faltered and fled the battle, because they were accustomed to defeat at the hands of the Romans. After the loss of the battle the forces of Veii returned home.<ref>[[Livy]], ''[[Ab urbe condita (book)|Ab urbe condita]]'', 2.6–7</ref> [[Livy]] writes that later in 509&nbsp;BC, consul [[Publius Valerius Publicola]] returned to fight the Veientes.<ref>[[Livy]], [[Ab urbe condita (book)|Ab urbe condita]] 2.8</ref>

In the 5th century BC, the Fabians, an aristocratic Roman family, moved into an Etruscan town just outside of Fidenae. Due to the sudden increase of wealth in the community, many Etruscan citizens began to worry about the impending fall of the economy. Soon, battles broke out on both sides, eventually leading to war. The sequence of events following the initial conflicts is widely considered to be a legend; it is said that the Veiian warriors murdered 300 Fabii, leaving all but one dead in order to incite fear in the rest of the community. <ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unrv.com/empire/veii-and-the-etruscans.php|title=Veii and the Etruscans &#124; UNRV.com Roman History|website=www.unrv.com|accessdate=9 April 2023}}</ref>

The most famous king of Veii was [[Lars Tolumnus]] whose family was part of the Veientine aristocracy<ref>C. J. Smith, The Roman Clan: The Gens from Ancient Ideology to Modern Anthropology, Cambridge University Press, {{ISBN|978-0-521-85692-8}}, pp. 161 ff</ref> and who instigated a war with Rome in 438 BC.<ref>Livy, iv. 17</ref> The nearby [[Roman colony]] of [[Fidenae]] revolted against Rome and allied itself with Veii, giving Tolumnus control of the Fidenate army. The Romans sent four envoys to demand an explanation but they were murdered. Rome declared war against Veii and sent [[Lucius Sergius]] with an army who won the [[Battle of Fidenae (437 BC)|battle of Fidenae]] but the Roman losses were so high that a state of emergency was declared. A subsequent fiercely-fought battle with Veii in 437 BC reinforced by a contingent from [[Falerii]] was indecisive until the tribune [[Aulus Cornelius Cossus]] unhorsed Tolumnus and killed him with his spear.

In 406 BC, Rome declared war against Veii, still powerful and well-fortified, and her allies Falerii and [[Capena]] which required the Romans to commence a siege lasting many years.<ref name="Plutarch: Camillus"/> As Plutarch says:<blockquote>

Veii had been the capital of Etruria, not inferior to Rome, either in number of arms or multitude of soldiers, so that relying on her wealth and luxury, and priding herself upon her refinement and sumptuousness, she had engaged in many honourable contests with the Romans for glory and empire .......... as the city was furnished with all sorts of weapons, offensive and defensive, likewise with corn and all manner of provisions, they cheerfully endured a siege</blockquote>

After ten years, in 396 BC, the Romans appointed [[Marcus Furius Camillus|Camillus]] as ''[[Roman dictator|dictator]]''. After defeating both Falerii and Capena at [[Nepi|Nepete]], Camillus commanded the final strike against Veii ([[Battle of Veii]]). He dug into the soft tuff rock below the walls whilst distracting the Veiians with attacks on the walls and infiltrated the city's drainage system to emerge in the citadel, leading to their defeat.<ref name="EB1911">{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Veii|volume=27|page=969}}</ref> Not interested in surrender but only in Veii's complete destruction, the Romans slaughtered the entire adult male population and made slaves of all the women and children. The plunder was very rich and extensive including the statue of [[Juno (mythology)|Juno]] taken to Rome.

Camillus supported the patricians in opposing the plebeian plan to populate Veii with half of the city of Rome designed to resolve poverty and space issues. Camillus deliberately protracted the project until its abandonment.<ref>{{Cite book|title=A Brief History of the Romans|last=Boatwright|first=Mary|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2006}}</ref>