The ancient Perusia first appears in history as one of the twelve confederate cities of Etruria.
It must have been rebuilt almost at once, for several bases exist, inscribed Augusto sacr(um) Perusia restituta; but, as we have seen, it did not become a colony until A.D.
It was said by classical writers to be of Etruscan origin, and to have been founded, under the name Felsina, from Perusia by Aucnus or Ocnus.
About 740 it consisted of Istria, Venetia (the maritime portion of which was ceasing to be a province and was becoming a protected state, the forerunner of the future republic of Venice), Ferrara, Ravenna (the exarchate in the limited sense), Pentapolis, Perusia, Rome, the coast of Naples and Calabria (in the sense of the toe and not the heel of the boot) which was being overrun by the Lombards of the duchy of Beneventum, which with Spoletum held the interior.
Agrippa played a conspicuous part in the war against Lucius, brother of Mark Antony, which ended in the capture of Perusia (40).