Page:Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography Volume II.djvu/596

 580 PERUSIA. Etruria, situated nearly on the eastern frontier of that country, on a Infty lull on the ri^ht bank of the Tiber, and overlooking the lake of Thrasymene which now derives from it the name of Lago di Perugia. It closely adjoins the frontiers of Umbria, and hence the tradition reported by Servius, that it Vi'as originally an Umbrian city, inhabited by the tribe called Sarsinates, is at least a veiy probable one. (Serv. ad Acn. x. 201.) Tbe same author has, however, preserved to us another tradition, whic?h ascribes the foundation of Perusia to a hero named Auletes, the brother of Ocnus, the reputed founder of Mantua. (/6. x. 198.) Justin's assertion th.it it was of Achaean origin (xx. 1) may be safely rejected as a mere fable; but whatever historical value may be attaclied to the statements of SeiTius, it seems probable that Perusia, in common with the other chief phices in the same part of Etruria, was in the first instance an Umbrian city, and sub- sequently pas.sed into the hands of the Etruscans, under wiiom it rose to be a powerful and important city, and one of the chief members of the Etruscan confederacy. It is not till n. c. 310, when the Romans had carried their arms beyond the Ciminian forest, that the name of Perusia is heard of in his- tory; but we are told that at that period it was one of the most powerful cities of Etruria. (Liv. ix. 37.) The three neighbouring cities of Perusia, Cortona, and Arretium, on that occasion united in concluding a peace with Rome for thirty years (Liv. I.e.; Diod. XX. 35) ; but they seem to have broken it the very next year, and shared in the great defeat of the Etruscans in general at the Vadimonian lake. This was followed by another defeat under the walls of Perusia itself, which compelled that city to sue for peace; but the statement that it surrendered at dis- cretion, and was occupied with a Roman garrison, is one of those obvious perversions of the truth that occur so frequently in the Roman annals. (Liv. ix. 40.) When we next meet with the name of Perusia, it is still as an independent and powerful state, which in b. c. 295, in conjunction with Clusium, was able to renew the war with Rome; and though their combined forces were defeated by Cn. Fulvius, the Perusians took the lead in renewing the contest the next year. On this occasion they were again defeated with heavy loss by Fabius, 4500 of their troops slain, and above 1700 taken prisoners. (Id. x. 30, 31.) In consequence of this disaster they were compelled before the close of the year to sue for peace, and, by the payment of a large sum of money, obtained a truce for forty years, b. c. 294. (Id. x. 37.) At this time Livy still calls the three cities of Perusia, Volsinii, and Arretium (all of which made peace at the same time) the three most powerful states and chief cities of Etruria. (Id. I.e.) We find no other mention of Perusia as an in- dependent state ; and we have no explanation of the circumstances or terms under which it ultimately became a dependency of Rome. But during the Second Punic War it figures among the allied cities which then formed so important a part of the Roman power: its cohorts were serving in her armies (Liv. xxiii. 17), and towards the end of the contest it was one of the " populi " of Etruria which came forward with alacrity to furnish supplies to the fleet of Scipio. Its contribution consisted of corn, and tim- ber for shipbuilding. (Id. xxviii. 45.) With this exception, we meet with no other mention of Perusia till near the close of the republican period, wlien it bore so conspicuous a part in the civil war between PERUSIA. Octavian and L. Antonius, in b. c. 41, as to give to that contest the name of Bellum Perusinum. (Suet. Aug. 9; Tac. Ann. v. 1; Ores. vi. 18.) It was shortly after the outbreak of hostilities on that oc- casion that L. Antonius, finding himself pressed on all sides by three armies under Agrippa, Salvidienus, and Octavian himself, threw himself into Perusia, trusting in the great natural strength of the city to en.able him to hold out till the arrival of liis generals, Ventidius and Asinius Pollio, to liis relief. But whether from disaffection or incapacity, these oflicers failed in coming to his support, and Octavian sur- rounded the whole hill on which the city stands with strong lines of circunivallation, so as to cut him off from all supplies, especially on the side of the Tiber, on which Antonius had mainly relied. Famine soon made itself felt in the city; the siege was pro- tracted through the winter, and Ventidius was foiled in an attempt to compel Octavian to raise it, and drew off his forces without success. L. Antonius now made a desperate attempt to break through the enemy's lines, but was repulsed with great slaughter, and found himself at length compelled to capitulate. His own life was spared, as were those of most of the Roman nobles who had accompanied him ; but the chief citizens of Perusia itself were put to death, the city given up to plunder, and an accidental confla- gration having been spread by the wind, ended by consuming the whole city. (Appian, B. C. v. 32 — 49; Dion Cass, xlviii. 14; Veil. Pat. ii. 74; Flor. iv. 5; Suet. Aug. 14, 96.) A story told by several writers of Octavian having sacrificed 300 of the prisoners at an altar consecrated to the memory of Caesar, is in all probability a fiction, or at least an exaggeration. (Dion Cass. I. c; Suet. Aug. 15; Senec. de Clem. i. 1 1 ; Slerivale's Roman Empire, vol. iii. p. 227.) Perusia was raised from its ashes again by Au- gustus, who settled a fresh body of citizens there, and the city assumed in consequence the surname of Augusta Perusia, which we find it bearing in in- scriptions; but it did not obtain the rank or title of a colony; and its territory was confined to the dis- trict within a mile of the walls. (Dion Cass, xlviii. 14; Orell. /wscr. 93— 95, 608.) Notwithstanding this restriction, it appears to liave speedily risen again into a flourishing municipal town. It is noticed by Strabo as one of the chief towns in the interior of Etruria, and its municipal consideration is attested by numerous inscriptions. (Strab. v. p. 226; Plin. iii. 5. s. 8 ; Ptol. iii. 1. § 48 ; Tal. Peut. ; Orell. Jftser. 2531, 3739, 4038.) From one of these we learn that it acquired under the Roman Empire the title of Colonia Vibia; but the origin of this is unknown, though it is probable that it was derived from the emperor Trebonianus Callus, who appears to have bestowed some conspicuous benefits on the place. (Vermiglioli, Iscriz. Perug. pp. 379 — 400; Zumpt, de Colon, p. 436.) The name of Perusia is not again mentioned in history till after the fall of the Roman Empire, but its natural strength of position rendered it a place of importance in the trouhled times that followed ; and it figures conspicuously in the Gothic wars, wlien it is called by Proeopius a strong fortress and the chief city of Etruria. It was taken by Behsarius in a.d. 537, and occupied with a strong garrison: in 547 it was besieged by Totila, but held out against his arms for nearly two years, and did not surrender till after Belisarius had ouitted Italy. It was again rccoveied bv Narses in 552. (Procop. B. G i. 16, 17, iii. 6, 25, 35, iv. 33.)