The first historical mention of "Spoletium" is the notice of the foundation of a colony there in 241 BCE; and it was still, according to Cicero "colonia latina in primis firma et illustris": a Latin colony in 95 BCE.
Bil je pomembno mesto prvotnih plemen Umbri, ki so zgradili obrambne zidove v 5. stoletju pred našim štetjem, od katerih so nekateri vidni še danes.