London Lecture on Diocletian's Palace

Published in Highlights

Dr.Radoslav Bužančić's London lecture entitled ‘Diocletian’s Palace in Split: New Discoveries’ aroused great interest among experts in archaeology, architecture, history of art, museology and the protection of cultural monuments and heritage.

When Dr. Radoslav Bužančić, Head of the Split Conservation Department, delivered his lecture on Wednesday 19th November 2014, he revealed for the first time the full extent and significance of the findings from excavating Diocletian’s Palace in recent times to an English-speaking audience. The lecture was occasioned by the 250th anniversary of the publication of Robert Adam’s exquisite book ‘Ruins of the Palace of the Emperor Diocletian at Spalatro in Dalmatia’ (1752).

Collaborating with Dr. Bužančić in preparing the lecture for an English audience is one of the most interesting projects I have ever undertaken. The history of Diocletian's Palace is fascinating. Building work was started in 295 AD, two years after reigning Emperor Diocletian (244 - ?311, 312 or 316 AD) had formed the Tetrarchy, or Rule of Four, in which he and his co-emperor (albeit junior) Maximian were joined by 'junior partners' Galerius and Flavius Constantinus. By the time the Palace was finished in 305 AD, Diocletian was ill. He became the first Roman Emperor to abdicate, and retired to the Split Palace, where he was famously proud of growing magnificent cabbages. Diocletian died without heirs. All that remains of his connexion to the Palace is his name, as his dead body was removed from his mausoleum, the Temple of Jupiter (today's Cathedral of St. Domnius) some time after his death. It is historical irony that the two temples left intact from Diocletian's time have become Christian places of worship, as Diocletian persecuted Christians ruthlessly, especially from 303 AD onwards. Diocletian only enjoyed residence in his palace for some eleven years at the most. Some old Split families, including Skočibučić-Lukaris, Cipci and my own family have maintained close links with the central part of the Palace over several centuries, far longer than its creator.

There are several exciting discoveries in Diocletian’s Palace which have been confirmed in recent months. They have completely changed the historical perspective on Diocletian’s building project in the ancient town of Aspalathos. A whole section of that town was destroyed and its people displaced to make way for the Palace. Diocletian's contemporary Lucius Lactantius (c.250 - c.325 AD) described the Emperor as having an insatiable appetite for building - cupiditas aedificandi - and this is borne out in the lavish structures erected at Aspalathos.


Robert Adam was not the first to visit and study Diocletian's Palace, but he was the first to do detailed measurements and produce an accurate ground plan of what he found. As Dr. Bužančić highlighted, this was especially important, as there is no written description of what the Palace was like when it was built. In other places, notably Antioch and Palmyra, written descriptions of Diocletian's constructions survived, but not the plans. Adam's plans allowed insights into the possible functions of the spaces of the Palace, especially the Imperial quarters in the southern part, nearest the sea, and the temples in front of them to the north, or land side, in the Peristyle.

TEMPLES DISCOVERED

While Robert Adam correctly identified two temples, the octagonal Temple of Jupiter (now Split Cathedral, dedicated to St. Domnius), and the rectangular Temple of Aesculapius, now the Baptistery, he did not know that there were two more smaller temples between the two. They were sited to the east opposite the Temple of Jupiter, in front of the Protiron, the northern facade of the imperial quarters in the Palace looking on to the Peristyle. This area was therefore totally dedicated to the deities. It would have been known in Roman times as a temenos. One of the temples was in the space later occupied by the Skočibučić-Lukaris family. The ground floor of the building was converted into an exhibition venue in 2014, leaving a renovated section of the temple wall exposed. The large stones on the floor in the photograph below would have been on top of the temple portico.

In the courtyard behind the restored part of the temple wall, excavations are continuing. A water-filled pit has been uncovered, which Dr. Bužančić believes may have been part of the crypt to the temple. It may have been converted in the Middle Ages into a cistern to serve the needs of the Skočibučić-Lukaris family. He believes further excavation will probably uncover an entrance to the pit once it has been emptied of water.

The second temple was located slightly further north, under the present-day Luxor Cafe. Part of the temple floor has been renovated and preserved within the cafe premises.

According to Dr. Bužančić, the four temples may have been symbolic of the Tetrarchy. The Temple of Jupiter is the largest of the temples, which would serve to emphasize Diocletian's seniority in the ruling cadre, as he had taken the title of Jovius, or son of Jove / Jupiter when he became Emperor in 284 AD. Dr. Bužančić pointed out the images of Diocletian and his wife Prisca in the cornice of the Temple of Jupiter, clearly visible following the recent renovation works. He suggested that it was likely that there had been an image of Jupiter where now there is a window.

THE TETRAPYLON
In the centre of the Peristyle where the two main Roman roadways (cardo and decumanus) met, it has now been confirmed that there was a tetrapylon, or four-cornered triumphal arch. Excavations revealed the traces of the foundations, which had been suspected but not proven for many years. The Danish archaeologist Ejnar Dyggve, who did extensive researches in Dalmatia between the 1920s and 1940s, was the first to suggest that there might have been a tetrapylon in the Peristyle.

Such triumphal arches played an important part in ceremonial processions, which in Split would have entered the Palace precincts through the Porta Aurea (Golden Gate). The terapylon marked the transition point into the sacral area or fanum, and the procession would culminate at the entrance to the imperial residence, in front of the Protiron, the elaborate facade facing north in front of the imperial quarters. The Protiron was the grand setting in which Diocletian would appear to be admired and revered by the populace below.

The tetrapylon, according to Dr. Bužančić, may have been similar to Diocletian's famous tetrapylon at Palmyra in Syria.

There is little visible sign of the tetrapylon now, as each section has been covered by other structures. The photograph below shows Dr. Bužančić pointing out where one part lies under the paving by St. Rocco's Chapel (now a tourist office).

Two pillars, which are now thought to be the vestiges of the tetrapylon, were still depicted in drawings up to the eighteenth century.

Dr. Bužančić showed his own reconstruction of what the central part of the Palace might have looked like, based on the newly confirmed information.

SOUTH OF THE PALACE: THE STADIUM?
The south wall of the Palace facing the sea is commonly depicted in historical drawings as being right on the sea.

Robert Adam showed it with a thin strip of land between the wall and the water.

Excavations in 2006 uncovered Roman remains showing that there were substantial constructions in front of the Palace wall. There was a building in front of it, containing a wall linking two towers, south-west and south-east. A thick layer of concrete stretched along the waterfront, to a length of about 180 metres. 

Dr. Bužančić identified these findings as likely to be the remnants of a stadium, which was an important part of any major Roman city in Diocletian's time. He reasoned that the ceremonial arches in the south wall, which were not filled in in Diocletian's day, were much more likely to have served as an imposing framework for Diocletian to show himself to the people and participants on the ground below than as 'picture windows' from which he could admire the sea view, fine though it is.

The findings have shown beyond doubt that Diocletian's Palace was not a Villa Marittima built directly on the waterfront.

THE AMPHITHEATRE
Traces of the Amphitheatre were discovered in excavations during the 1950s and in 1997, but the findings were considered at the time to be a theatre or odeon.

It was only when work was being done digging foundations for a shopping mall in 2013 that it became clear that the remains were far more significant than that.

The excavations revealed clear evidence of an amphitheatre.

The overall conclusion from the previous and recent researches was that the amphitheatre had a span of some 50 metres.

Finds of coins, together with fragments of glass, ceramics and amphorae, confirmed that the site dated to the early 4th century. Further proof was provided by the discovery that part of the aqueduct built by Diocletian, which stretched nearly ten kilometres from its source at the Jadro river, was built under the amphitheatre, as shown in the right side of the picture below.

 
Two later Christian churches, dedicated to St. Andrew and St. John the Evangelist, covered part of the western area of the amphitheatre. It only took a few months following the excavations for the site to become heavily overgrown around the temporarily protected chapel structure.

Dr. Bužančić is of the opinion that the churches may have been so-called 'martyrs' churches', raised in honour of those who died in the Roman arena. Excavations in the adjoining area have uncovered sarcophagi. Two are seen covered in white cloth to the right in the photograph below.

 
The land under excavation is being developed for the shopping mall by a private owner. Of course the period of excavations has halted the development plans, which inevitably creates financial consequences for a landowner in this situation. Dr. Bužančić highlighted how difficult it can be to reconcile the needs and interests of individuals and groups, be they residents, property developers or visitors, with the renovations and explorations which are the conservator's duties when entrusted with such an important heritage site as Diocletian's Palace.

SIGNIFICANCE OF THE RECENT FINDINGS
Dr. Bužančić demonstrated that these major findings all serve to confirm that Diocletian's Palace was not simply a luxurious retirement home, built in splendid isolation in some backwater settlement of the Empire. It was part of a functioning Roman urban environment. Diocletian had planned it to be an imperial residence like his other major centres at Antioch and Palmyra, a place where his grandeur and links to divinity would be on display. The Split Palace has now revealed several of its secrets. Dr. Bužančić believes that there is one more major discovery to be made: every major Roman centre had a hippodrome, and he is confident that one will be found in Split in the foreseeable future.
 
THE LECTURE ORGANIZATION
The British Croatian Society in London and the Hrvatsko-britansko društvo in Split organized the lecture jointly. The two organizations have collaborated for many years in creating successful links between British and Croatian experts from diverse fields.The lecture venue was particularly appropriate, a building on a square constructed according to the design of Scots architect Robert Adam. The building is the headquarters of the Georgian Group, an influential association of experts.

The introduction to the lecture was given by Nicholas Jarrold, former British Ambassador to Croatia and current Chairman of the British Croatian Society. Aida Batarelo, Deputy Mayor of Split, spoke on behalf of the delegation from Split, which included Nikola Horvat, Head of International Affairs at the Mayor’s Office, and Vjenceslav Pejša, Chairman of the Hrvatsko-britansko društvo.

THE AUDIENCE
The audience, which numbered over 70, consisted of members of the British Croatian Society, representatives of AMAC UK from Oxford, members of the Decorative Arts Society and curators from several important museums, and experts from several fields. The lecture-theatre was packed. Flora Turner-Vučetić, formerly Cultural Counsellor to the Croatian Embassy in London and previous Chairman of the British-Croatian Society and author of the delightful book ‘The Sweet Taste of a Dalmatian Love Affair’, did her best to conjure up more chairs, but some people still had to stand in the doorway. Afterwards, people wondered at how rapt the audience had been, despite the overcrowding. Even some young children present were quiet for the whole duration of the talk.

The distinguished guests included His Excellency Dr. Ivan Grdešić, the Croatian Ambassador in London, accompanied by Mrs. Grdešić; Lady Jadranka Beresford-Peirse, founder and Chairman of the International Trust for Croatian Monuments; Rosemary Baird FSA of the Georgian Group, Curator Emeritus of the Goodwood Collection; Dr. Marjorie Trusted, Head of Sculpture in the Victoria and Albert Museum; Dr Frances Sands, Catalogue Editor (Robert Adam Drawings Project) at Sir John Soane’s Museum; Margaret Baird, Chairman of the Events Sub-Committee at the Decorative Arts Society; Silvia Mazzola, Italian art historian; Anne Ceresole, historian of architecture and design; Andrew Selkirk, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, former Vice-President of the Royal Archaeological Institute, founder and editor-in-chief of ‘Current Publishing’, editor-in-chief of ‘Current World Archaeology’; Caitlin McCall, editor of ‘Current World Archaeology’; Richard Hughes, Engineer and Building Conservator with Ove Arup and ICOMOS among other influential organizations; Martin Drury CBE, Chairman of the Landmark Trust, Vice-Chairman of the Attingham Trust, Vice-President of the Heritage of London Trust, and Vice-President of the National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts; Dr. Nigel Ramsay, historian, of University College London; Colin Thom, senior historian, Survey of London, UCL Bartlett School of Architecture; Tom Nancullas of English Heritage’s Planning and Conservation Office, London; John Harris, architect, editor of 'Fort' journal; Dr. David Davison of Archaeopress, Oxford, the specialist publishing house for academic books on archaeology; Tony Suchy, Chairman of the British Croatian Chamber of Commerce; and Malcolm Billings, broadcaster and writer.

The lecture was greeted with unprecedented warmth. Immediately afterwards, some experts were suggesting that Dr. Bužančić should publish the lecture material and give talks presenting it to a wider public. Many in the audience described the lecture as “absolutely wonderful” and commented on what a perfect setting the Robert Adam building was, especially because there was a cornice around the room which was reminiscent of some of the decorative elements in Diocletian’s Palace. Several people wrote to the organisers afterwards with fulsome praise, for instance “last night was a magnificent event. .. [a] perfectly timed and very interesting lecture”; “Very many thanks for … the wonderful lecture on Diocletian's palace.  We thought it was a splendid event and so popular. For [us] it was the perfect introduction to Croatian hospitality and Bon homie.”; "Thank you very much at the Croatian Embassy and the Anglo-Croatian Society for an excellent lecture. it was so clear and concise, as well as being really fascinating."; “thank you for … the fabulous lecture last night. I enjoyed it enormously and am all the more excited about visiting Split for the conference next week.”

© Vivian Grisogono 2014

You are here: Home

Eco Environment News feeds

  • Labour’s measures to ban deep-peat burning aim to safeguard habitats, tackle carbon emissions, and protect wildlife, so why are hunters up in arms?

    Burning vegetation on deep peat will be banned under government plans to protect nature and reduce carbon emissions.

    Vegetation on peatland is often burned to create habitat for grouse, which like to feed on the fresh shoots of new plants that grow after the burn. This increases the number of birds available to be shot for sport.

    Continue reading...

  • South Africa’s Marion Island is a breeding ground for the birds, but their chicks are being eaten alive by rodents. Now, the world’s largest operation to eradicate the invasive species is about to get under way

    By 2015, scientists knew from camera trap evidence that mice were attacking albatross chicks on Marion Island, but no one had ever witnessed it first-hand on the small volcanic outcrop off the coast of South Africa. So, when researchers Stefan and Janine Schoombie came across a badly wounded wandering albatross chick in a relatively accessible part of the island, they resolved to return at night. After hiking for 30 minutes in the dark, Stefan started quietly setting up his camera equipment behind a rock. “We were expecting to have to stalk, but the mice were climbing all over us,” he says.

    It didn’t take long for the mice to start feeding on the albatross chick. “The bird was a complete fluffball,” says Janine. “So, they just climbed up its back and started nibbling at its head. We could see their teeth going into its flesh.” The bird, too young to walk let alone fly, could only shake its head in irritation. “As scientists our job is to not intervene,” says Stefan. “But we really wanted to help that bird.”

    Continue reading...

  • With a leg-span the size of your hand, the UK’s biggest spider, ultra-rare and known for its extraordinary hunting skills, has many admirers

    Meet an Olympian among Britain’s 660 spider species: a palm-of-the-hand-sized arachnid that hunts in three dimensions and can even devour fish.

    The fen raft spider (Dolomedes plantarius) is a magnificent ambush predator: harmless to humans but lethal if you’re a pond skater, tadpole or even adult dragonfly.

    Araneae have been feared and discriminated against throughout history

    Between 24 March and 2 April, we will be profiling a shortlist of 10 of the invertebrates chosen by readers and selected by our wildlife writers from more than 2,500 nominations. The voting for our 2025 invertebrate of the year will run from midday on Wednesday, 2 April until midday on Friday, 4 April, and the winner will be announced on Monday, 7 April.

    Continue reading...

  • Annual peak is lowest on record, covering 5.53m sq miles – about 30,000 sq miles below the previous low in 2017

    Winter sea ice in the Arctic has reached a record low in 2025, according to Nasa and the US’s National Snow and Ice Data Center. The annual peak, recorded on 22 March, was the lowest since records began 47 years ago, with sea ice covering just 5.53m sq miles – about 1.1m sq miles less than last year – and 30,000 sq miles below the previous low in 2017. The Gulf of St Lawrence had almost no ice, while the Sea of Okhotsk experienced notably lower than average sea ice extent.

    In late January, sea ice extent in the Arctic unexpectedly decreased, losing an area the size of Italy (more than 115,000 sq miles). This can be attributed to cyclones pushing southerly winds in the Barents and Bering seas, causing ocean waves that broke apart and melted thin ice at the edge of the ice sheet. Temperatures up to 12C above normal were recorded between northern Greenland and the north pole.

    Continue reading...

  • By grazing between trees and removing potential wildfire fuel, wild horses help protect Galicia’s delicate ecosystems, but Europe’s largest herd has declined to just 10,000

    Continue reading...

  • Long Dean, Cotswolds: This is a world – and a worldview – away from the rush to get lab-grown meat on to the market

    It’s a test of patience waiting for a calf. But in our closed (ie we don’t buy in) small-scale herd, ensuring successful delivery of new life is vital. I’m now several days into regularly checking for signs of labour. By day, I stride through the greening wood, spring’s symphony of birdsong overlaid by woodpecker percussion, and by night, moonlit or torchlit, I stumble, observed by owls but without pausing to dwell on what those dark scufflings might be. These calves have been nine months in the making, a few more days won’t matter. Nature, after all, dictates her own pace.

    By contrast, in the news recently, the Food Standards Agency is seeking to speed up the approval of lab-grown meat. These products, originating from animal cells, will be developed in small chemical plants before being processed to look like food, and it is claimed they are better for the environment and health. Putting aside the irony that they seem to be the “ultimate” in processed food, it might be that using science is the most “efficient” way to produce meat. But – pardoning the pun – there’s much more at stake here than that.

    Continue reading...

  • We asked 18 Republicans whose districts benefit most from Biden’s IRA climate law if they back Trump’s demands

    Billions of dollars in clean energy spending and jobs have overwhelmingly flowed to parts of the US represented by Republican lawmakers. But these members of Congress are still largely reticent to break with Donald Trump’s demands to kill off key incentives for renewables, even as their districts bask in the rewards.

    The president has called for the dismantling of the Inflation Reduction Act – a sweeping bill passed by Democrats that has helped turbocharge investments in wind, solar, nuclear, batteries and electric vehicle manufacturing in the US – calling it a “giant scam”. Trump froze funding allocated under the act and has vowed to claw back grants aimed at reducing planet-heating pollution.

    Continue reading...

  • The thylacine might walk again. Or Lake Pedder might rise again. The possibility of ecological restoration in the island state plays into the appeal of going back in time

    There is something about Tasmania that makes it a place where people want to restore the past, and not just because Tasmanians still regularly report seeing thylacines bounding off into the forest.

    Certainly, it’s a retro kind of place. The landed gentry are still a thing, the powerful families of modern Tasmania tracing their ancestry back to the original squatters, who either took the land by force or bought it from the colonial government, no questions asked. Georgian mansions scatter the rural landscape; in Hobart, convict hewn stone is a building material of choice. Nearly 70% of Tasmanians had both parents born in Australia (the overall figure for the country is 47%), and more than 80% identify with a white ancestry (65% for Australia as a whole). If you ignore the giant cruise ships, the Teslas and the puffer jackets, you could imagine yourself in mid-century Australia.

    Continue reading...

  • Riot of native wildflowers that enthralled visitors in the past several years have failed to sprout due to too little rain

    It’s one of the best known rites of spring in California: extraordinary displays known as “superblooms” that coat the hillsides in an abundance of color. Some years the blooms are massive enough to draw tourists from around the world to revel in the fields, such as in 2023 when more than 100,000 people showed up on a weekend to gawk at the poppies in Lake Elsinore, a small city about an hour outside Los Angeles.

    But this year, not so much. Thanks to a brutally dry winter, the hills around the usual southern California superbloom hotspots have been conspicuously bare. Callista Turner, a state park ranger, could count the number of blooms on two hands as she surveyed the 8 miles of rolling hills at the Antelope Valley California Poppy Reserve in the final week of March, which is typically when superbloom season peaks. “We’re still waiting to see what kind of season we have,” she says. “It’s a very slow start.”

    Continue reading...

  • The last two big storms to hit Mexico have left the city vulnerable to organised crime and in fear of the next climate shock

    Flora Montejo always dreamed of buying her own home. After almost three decades working as a nurse, the 68-year-old invested her retirement savings in a two-storey house in San Agustín, a working-class suburb of the Mexican resort town of Acapulco.

    Montejo’s retirement dream was shortlived. Not long after moving into her newly remodelled home, Hurricane John dumped record levels of rainfall on Acapulco, triggering landslides and flash floods after calm creeks turned into roaring rivers.

    Continue reading...

Eco Health News feeds

Eco Nature News feeds