We all know Diocletian, a Roman emperor probably most famous for two things: splitting the Roman empire into two to avoid its imminent collapse; and viciously persecuting Christians.
But Diocletian was not from the city of Rome or even the Italian Peninsula -- rather, he was born in the Balkans, in a port city now called Split on the Adriatic coast in Croatia. Diocletian loved the Adriatic coast and built a huge palace in Split. I was lucky enough to visit Croatia in the summer of 2013 and tour the ruins of Diocletian's Palace.
To give some context, below is a map showing two cities that I visited, Zadar and Split. See how close they are to Italy? The coastline of Croatia was part of the Roman Empire during its height.
And here is the man himself, Diocletian. This bust is inside the palace, where it's very dark and dank.
Diocletian's Palace is very large, and the modern city of Split has been built around it, so that there are many shops and restaurants surrounding (and even inside) the palace. This is a shot of the palace from the outside. To anyone passing by, it looks just like an ordinary building in Split.
But look closer, and you can see many elements of Greek architecture that were adopted by the Romans and used in Diocletian's Palace. Check out these Corinthian columns!
The palace today is a huge tourist site, and men dressed up in Roman clothing roam the palace to give it an authentic feel. These Roman soldiers were texting, which is a bit of an anachronism.
One of the sections of the palace that's open to visitors is Diocletian's basement. Here's some extra moulding that's just waiting around to be used (2000 years after the palace was built!).
Finally, I also visited another Croatian town that was part of the Roman Empire: Zadar. A much smaller town than Split, Zadar still has many Roman ruins, with more being excavated every day. Here are the columns that made up the Roman forum in Zadar.
Diocletian's Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you'd like to learn more, you can visit its website.
But Diocletian was not from the city of Rome or even the Italian Peninsula -- rather, he was born in the Balkans, in a port city now called Split on the Adriatic coast in Croatia. Diocletian loved the Adriatic coast and built a huge palace in Split. I was lucky enough to visit Croatia in the summer of 2013 and tour the ruins of Diocletian's Palace.
To give some context, below is a map showing two cities that I visited, Zadar and Split. See how close they are to Italy? The coastline of Croatia was part of the Roman Empire during its height.
And here is the man himself, Diocletian. This bust is inside the palace, where it's very dark and dank.
Diocletian's Palace is very large, and the modern city of Split has been built around it, so that there are many shops and restaurants surrounding (and even inside) the palace. This is a shot of the palace from the outside. To anyone passing by, it looks just like an ordinary building in Split.
But look closer, and you can see many elements of Greek architecture that were adopted by the Romans and used in Diocletian's Palace. Check out these Corinthian columns!
The palace today is a huge tourist site, and men dressed up in Roman clothing roam the palace to give it an authentic feel. These Roman soldiers were texting, which is a bit of an anachronism.
One of the sections of the palace that's open to visitors is Diocletian's basement. Here's some extra moulding that's just waiting around to be used (2000 years after the palace was built!).
Finally, I also visited another Croatian town that was part of the Roman Empire: Zadar. A much smaller town than Split, Zadar still has many Roman ruins, with more being excavated every day. Here are the columns that made up the Roman forum in Zadar.
Diocletian's Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. If you'd like to learn more, you can visit its website.
