Veii

Veii (modern name: Isola Farnese, in Etruscan: Vei), was an important Etruscan town located near the west coast of central Italy. Lying just 16 km north of Rome, it was the most southerly of the major Etrurian settlements. The prosperity of Veii in the 6th and 5th century BCE is attested by the construction of a sizeable Etruscan temple, the Portonaccio Temple, which was decorated with large terracotta figure sculptures, one of which, a confidently striding Apollo, is celebrated as a masterpiece of Etruscan art. Veii was a long-time rival of nearby Rome and suffered a legendary 10-year siege from 406 BCE. When it finally fell, the city was destroyed but not obliterated as it had a second, more modest life as a small Roman town well into Late Antiquity.