ACCADEMIA ETRUSCA DI CORTONA

This organization, founded in 1726 by the Venuti brothers, originated the field of Etrus- can studies. As with many antiquarian organizations of the eighteenth century, the society and then academy had a wide scope: antiquarian- ism, natural history, politics, and the broad studies of culture. In the eighteenth century, the academy had some famous members—Mon- tesquieu, Voltaire, and Johann Winkelmann—and developed an important museum and library and encouraged publication. A long decline immediately followed this period, revived only after World War II as a focus of some regional importance for Etruscan publica- tions, including the Annuario dell’Accademia Etrusca di Cortona.