Eco Hvar

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.

London Lecture on Diocletian's Palace

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

More in this category: « EC Response on Adriatic Oil Drilling St. Nicholas and St. Lucy in Stari Grad »
back to top
You are here: Home

Eco Environment News feeds

  • Heat pumps and insulation would cut UK living costs more than new oilfields, study suggests

    Warm homes plan would create 50,000 jobs, compared with about 1,100 for Rosebank oilfield, thinktank finds

    Insulating Britain’s homes and investing in heat pumps would do more to cut the cost of living, create jobs and boost the UK’s economy than drilling for new oil, research suggests.

    The government’s £15bn warm homes plan, currently under threat of cuts as ministers seek budget savings, would slash £1bn a year from household energy bills across the UK, concentrated on those on low incomes, according to research by the thinktank E3G. It would also provide a £1.6bn yearly boost to the economy, and about 50,000 new jobs spread across thousands of small businesses.

    Continue reading...

  • The problem with telling people the world is ending

    In the face of terrible crises, it can feel right to shock people into action. But what if that has the opposite effect?

    These days, it’s easy to succumb to hopelessness. Whether you’re thinking about the climate crisis, the prospect of AI apocalypse, war or political turmoil, the list of challenges facing humanity can seem insurmountable.

    It certainly feels unprecedented, and much of it may be. The sense of impending doom, on the other hand, is nothing new. And what we have learned from the past is that doomerism can lead to paralysis. If everyone freezes, then nothing changes – but if we want to have a chance of mitigating some of the threats I’ve mentioned then action is what’s required.

    Continue reading...

  • Healey backs pro-growth case for Heathrow third runway after Burnham ducks issue

    Chancellor says government will study responses to public consultation, with airports being ‘big part of jobs and growth’

    John Healey has said there is a pro-growth case for going ahead with a third runway at Heathrow despite the prime minister declining to back it.

    Healey’s predecessor as chancellor, Rachel Reeves, put approval of the long-planned runway at the heart of her “growth speech” last year, saying it would “make Britain the world’s best-connected place to do business”.

    Continue reading...

  • How the quirky puffin became a symbol of the climate crisis – and hope

    In an extract from his new book, the nature historian explains how technology could help the seabird survive

    For centuries human beings have exploited puffins, harvesting them by the thousand on their breeding grounds for their food and feathers. Over time, though, this relationship has changed, so that today we have come to love them, celebrating their quirky character and comical appearance and giving them a central place in our affections – a journey described by the environmental historian Dr Rob Lambert as the shift “from use to delight”.

    How ironic, then, that just as we have come to truly appreciate them, our own existence now threatens theirs. The climate crisis threatens almost all the world’s roughly 11,000 species of birds, but its consequences have particularly dire significance for seabirds, whose life cycle is so intimately connected to the timing and abundance of their food supplies.

    Continue reading...

  • From little acorns … to his 1,000th article for the Guardian country diary

    As Mark Cocker approaches a landmark for the world’s oldest column in an English-language newspaper, he is still inspired by powerful encounters with nature

    In the autumn of 1987, Mark Cocker sat in a field near Norwich and watched a jay burying acorns for the long winter ahead. He described the scene in his first country diary for the Guardian. Thirty-nine years on, some of those jay-planted acorns will be mature oaks now, and Cocker is completing his 1,000th diary for the world’s oldest column in an English-language newspaper.

    In his next diary, he will reflect on the changing birdlife around Flint Clough, in the Peak District, where he first marvelled at rare birds aged 12 after devouring bird books in his bedroom. As a boy, he would find cuckoo, golden plover, ring ouzel and twite, a once-common bird which is now virtually extinct in England.

    Continue reading...

  • Uncovering the secrets of New Zealand’s elusive ‘jungle penguins’

    The tawaki, or Fiordland crested penguin, known for its prominent yellow eyebrows, has for years baffled scientists with its unusual habits

    Deep in the misty fjords of New Zealand’s South Island, a team of researchers is trying to catch one of the world’s most elusive penguins: the forest-dwelling tawaki, or Fiordland crested penguin. For weeks, researchers stand sentry each day over a burrow on Eleanor Island, hoping to corner the female bird so they can retrieve data from its tagging device.

    But this penguin has developed a clever exit strategy – digging multiple tunnels to elude its captors.

    The Tutoko I prepares for a research trip during its annual Fiordland crested penguin nest survey around Doubtful Sound

    Continue reading...

  • Honeybees are barging aside wild pollinators in hunt for pollen and nectar, study finds

    As a surge in beekeepers has led to increased numbers of honeybees, researchers record them pushing bumblebees and other rival species away from flowers

    Honeybees are outcompeting wild pollinators for resources by aggressively bumping into them and chasing them away from flowers, research has shown.

    The study, by researchers from Anglia Ruskin University, found that areas where there were higher concentrations of honeybees had fewer wild pollinators, such as bumblebees, solitary bees and hoverflies.

    Continue reading...

  • A California town’s beaches are washing away. Can its residents turn the tide?

    Rapid coastal erosion threatens coastal homes and economies, and as Super El Niño rounds the corner, a town is reckoning with the reality of climate crisis

    San Clemente is one of southern California’s most picture-perfect beach towns – a capital of American surf culture since the 1950s. In two years, 2028 Olympic surfers will compete at Lower Trestles, a world-class surfing beach.

    But the town’s longtime cultural and economic driver, its beaches, are now under threat. As pounding waves driven by late-summer storms in the Pacific devour chunks of the California coastline, some of San Clemente’s beaches are growing narrower, the sand increasingly eaten away.

    Continue reading...

  • More peas, please! 17 delicious ways to devour Britain’s most brilliant vegetable

    They’re healthy, versatile, sustainable and available. Yet pea consumption in the UK is at a 50-year low. Here are the curries, dips, pasta dishes and even cakes that could turn all that around

    It’s not good news for the pea farmers: pea consumption in the UK has fallen to a 50-year low. According to data from Defra, the average Briton ate just 37g of peas per week in 2025, down from 144g per week in 1975.

    Though a classic British staple, peas are not for everybody. Apparently only 22% of gen Z associate peas with Britain at all (which is patently ridiculous: 90% of the peas we consume in the UK are grown here, while we produce about 160,000 tonnes for freezing alone each year).

    Continue reading...

  • Hiding in plane sight: the invisible turbulence that can strike out of a clear blue sky

    As the planet warms, airlines are grappling with what this means for air travel – and for the passengers who simply refuse to keep their seatbelts fastened

    It was a swelteringly hot afternoon in south-west Myanmar on 21 May 2024. Tropical thunderstorms, showers and highs of 36C were forecast for the area around the Irrawaddy Basin. High above, monsoonal heat and humidity were building into a vast convective column of water vapour, a towering cumulonimbus cloud soaring up to 35,000ft (more than 10,500 metres) into the air. From the ground, it would have looked like something from a children’s picture book – a soft, fluffy white mass. But for Singapore Airlines flight SQ321 passing just above, it was anything but benign.

    In the cabin of the Boeing 777, passengers were being woken up for breakfast with three hours to go on the journey from London to Singapore. For the 210 travellers on board, the past 10 hours had been uneventful. The seatbelt signs were off. Some were milling around, others were using the toilets, and cabin staff were preparing trolleys for service. At 2.19pm and 23 seconds local time, moderate turbulence shook the plane for 17 seconds and the seatbelt sign was switched on. Then, as one passenger described it, it was “like a grenade had gone off”. In just 4.6 seconds, any passenger not strapped in hit the roof with 1.5 times the force of gravity and was thrown back on the floor in an instant.

    Continue reading...

Eco Health News feeds

Eco Nature News feeds

Copyright © 2026 Eco Hvar. All Rights Reserved. Developed by Orion Informatika.