Any member of an ancient pre-Etruscan people pushed into central Italy (Umbria) by the Etruscans and Gauls. They never fought an important war with the Romans. In the Social War they were among the first to make peace with Rome. They are described by ancient authors as being similar to their Etruscan enemies in culture. The Umbrian alphabet is undoubtedly of Etruscan origin. Their dialect was Indo-European
Ancient Italic language spoken in central Italy in the last few centuries BC. Umbrian was related closely to Oscan and Volscian and more distantly to Latin. It was displaced by Latin at an unknown date. Modern knowledge of the language is derived almost entirely from the Iguvine Tables ( 300-90 BC)