3 The Fire

The archaeological layer colored in red and black witnesses the great fire that not only caused the domus to be abandoned, but especially the destruction of the whole town of Perugia. The fire in fact did absolutely not happen by chance, it was a consequence of the power clashes in Rome.

After Julius Caesar's death (March 15, 44 B.C.), two political factions competed for power in Rome. On the one side there was Marc Antony, supported by his brother, Lucius Antony. On the other side, Octavian, who would finally became "Augustus," the Emperor.

Marc and Lucius Antony feared Octavian because he had acquired much power, therefore they were looking for a pretext in order to destroy his reputation. The occasion was provided by precisely the situation in Perugia: here, in fact, great unrest had arisen for both economical and political reasons, that might be taken advantage of by the two brothers in order to gain success.

In the wake of such unrest, Marc and Lucius Antony succeeded in channeling the people's hate and create an army of rebels ready to wage war against Octavian.

It was 40 B.C., the uprising turned into actual civil war. It would be remembered as bellum Perusinum, the "war of Perugia."

Octavian had no choice except facing the army of rebels. After reaching Perugia, he realized that the powerful wall that encircled it made it impregnable. Therefore, he decided he would not attack Perugia directly, but rather plan a long siege in order to conquer it by exhaustion.

He garrisoned all the gates that led to the acropolis (upper town) and surrounded the town with fences and towers, preventing anybody from coming or going. By this, the rebel army who had barricaded itself in the acropolis could get no provisions. After a siege that lasted not less than seven months, Marc and Lucius had to surrender. So Octavian entered Perugia, where he slaughtered the aristocrats and laid waste the town.

Thirteen years later, however, Octavian – who had meanwhile acquired the title of Augustus and become the Emperor – started to rebuild Perugia. Since the word Augustus comes from Latin augere, to augment, to enlarge, he was considered "he who augments reality." He literally let Perugia "rise again from ashes." That is why you will see the words Augusta Perusia (Augustus' Perugia) carved on some monuments, especially the former Etruscan Gate.