As a powerful member of the Etruscan League, it was continually at war with Rome. It fell to the Roman general Camillus's army in 396 B.C.
It was famous for its statuary including a statue of Tiberius (now in the Vatican), and the Apollo of Veii.
Outside the remains of the city, there are tumuli and tombs have been found cut into the rock. The most famous is the Grotta Campana, uncovered in 1843, a chambered tomb with the eldest known Etruscan frescoes.