Demaratus

Demaratus was a nobleman and a wealthy merchant of the Dorian House of the Bacchiadae at Corinth. Following the events of 657 BC when the tyrant Cypselus took power in his native city, he made a decision to leave the city. Having traded successfully with Etruria in Italy, Demaratus transferred his personal wealth and took up residence at Tarquinii. There he was accompanied by three Corinthian craftsmen who transmitted “plastike” to Italy. After he settled, he married a local Etruscan lady of noble birth. His son, Lucius Tarquinius Priscus became the first Tarquin king of Rome. Besides, as a Greek merchant trading with the west, Demaratus actively contributed to the process of “Hellenization of Etruria”.