DNA and Etruscan identity

From the time of Herodotus, who suggested that the Etruscans were immigrants to Italy, to the present day, the origin of the Etruscans has been debated. Since the mid-twentieth century a convincing academic consensus has been built that the Etruscans were an autochthonous people. The development of molecular archaeology, investigating ancient biological molecules, particularly DNA, has brought new evidence to the debate. This area is still developing and many of its findings are experimental or provisional