Iron Age In the plateau, tombs from the 10th century BC and an
Iron Age village (9th century BC) have been found. Several Iron Age huts have been uncovered beneath the remains of the later Roman city. It is likely that these huts were abandoned around the 6th-century BCE, with the population perhaps relocating to the nearby
hillforts. Southwest of Plestia, there lies a range of several hillforts, which were perhaps constructed to protect the few entrances to the area, which is otherwise enclosed by mountainous terrain. According to the archaeologist Guy Bradley, these forts may have served to guard the territorial borders of the local community, though it has been alternatively proposed that they were intended to exert control over
transhumance routes. The hillforts around Plestia typically consisted of a ditch—usually around 4-5 meters wide—encircling stone fortifications. Cemeteries have been uncovered near these structures, implying that they served as long-term residences rather than temporary spaces of occupation. The general wealth of the grave goods inhumed at any such cemetery appears to correspond to the prominence of the neighboring hillfort: Monte di Franca and Monte di Trella, two less significant forts by Plestia, had less ostentatious burials than those of Monte Orve, which may have serves as the most important hillfort in the vicinity. The material from the necropolis at Colfiorito has been organized into four separate chronological phases. The first phase encompasses the period from 9th to the 7th centuries BCE, during which time the graves incorporated only relatively basic furnishings, such as a
fibula or other such articles of clothing or an
impasto vessel. During the second phase, which lasted throughout the 7th-century BCE, grave goods became more lavish and now could consist of items such as iron weapons and bronze dishes. The rising wealth of the funerary rites persisted into the third period, which dates from the 6th-century BCE to the first half of the 4th-century BCE. At this time, tombs began to incorporate significant quantities of
Picene goods, including
red and
black figure vessels imported from
Greece,
impasto pottery, bronze dining equipment,
silver rings, fibulae, and necklaces of
amber or
ivory. The most lavish burials goods were concentrated in a select few graves, perhaps attesting to a type of local aristocracy and therefore
social stratification. The quantity of burials within the cemeteries increased also increased during this period, perhaps reflecting population growth. Furthermore, the increases in wealth during the 6th and 5th centuries BCE may attest to economic development, itself possibly indicative of agricultural specialization and greater participation in trade networks. Bronze objects from the third phase, such as
oenochoes and basins, may indicate trade connections with the
Etruscan city of
Volsinii. Moreover, it is possible that the Greek material was imported via
Picenum, implying a trade link—and therefore contact—between the two peoples, which may explain the construction of an Iron Age temple to the goddess
Cupra. The temple was established near the , which is described by ancient Roman sources and was probably located near the modern church of
Santa Maria di Pistia, though the lake has since dried. Votive material uncovered near this lake implies the existence of specialized craft production capable of producing such pottery or metalwork, itself probably a reflection of the concurrent increases in social complexity during this period. Amongst the ritual dedications from the site, there is an inscription containing the
ethnonym '''''' in the
Umbrian language, which may indicate that a shared cultural identity was present during the Iron Age. During the fourth phase at the necropolis, both the number of graves and the expense of the mortuary offerings declined greatly, eventually culminating in the seeming termination of any continued burial at the site during the 3rd-century BCE. According to Bradley, the declining quality of burials may reflect decreased involvement in trade routes.
Later history In 178 BC existed here the Roman city of
Plestia, which had a
forum, a temple and other edifices and shortly was a bishopric. The town was abandoned in the 10th century: the site is now marked by the church of
Santa Maria in Plestia. The area was repopulated by the
comune of Foligno, who built here the castle (1269) from which originated the modern village. In 1860 Colfiorito had a population of 758 inhabitants. At the time, the lake at Colfiorito had advanced toward the settlement to the point of nearly reaching the road used by the stagecoach, and several ground-floor dwellings had standing water. Colfiorito was heavily damaged by the
earthquake which rocked
Umbria and
Marche regions on September 26, 1997. == Ecclesiastical History ==