Roman Lives

Lucius Tarquinius Priscus was Rome's first King of Etruscan heritage, though he would end up in Rome only because he was viewed as an outsider by his own countrymen. A builder and a warrior, Tarquinius set many precedents for Rome - the use of lictors, the fasces, the sale of conquered people into slavery and more. He would not be the last of his name to play a prominent role in Rome's development - in fact, his grandson would be the last king of Rome, while the son of his nephew would be one of the men to cast that grandson out of Rome.  Next time, we really start to see the light at the end of the long tunnel of Rome's regal period with the accession of Servius Tullius, Tarquinius' son in law.