www.ibiblio.org Open in urlscan Pro
2610:28:3090:3000:0:bad:cafe:23  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

THE "PALACE" OF DIOCLETIAN AT SPLIT


A UNIQUE STRUCTURE FROM THE LATER ROMAN EMPIRE


BY MICHAEL GREENHALGH.







The city of Spalato, which means "little palace", was founded by the emperor
Diocletian; he made it his own dwelling-place, and built within it a court and a
palace, most part of which has been destroyed. But a few things remain to this
day, e.g. the episcopal residence of the city and the church of St Domnus, in
which St Domnus himself lies, and which was the resting-place of the same
emperor Diocletian. Beneath it are arching vaults, and to cover over the city
throughout, and to build his palace and all the living quarters of the city on
top of those vaults, which used to be prisons, in which he cruelly confined the
saints whom he tormented. The defence-wall of this city is constructed neither
of bricks nor of concrete, but of ashlar blocks, one and often two fathoms in
length by a fathom across, and these are fitted and joined to one another by
iron cramps puddled into molten lead. In this city also stand close rows of
columns, with entablatures above, on which this same emperor Diocletian proposed
to erect arching vaults, to a height of two and three stories, so that they
covered little ground-space in the same city. The defence wall of this city has
neither rampart nor bulwarks, but only lofty walls and arrow-slits. (Citation
from the Byzantine Emperor Constantine Porphyrogennetos [ref 3])

Please pass the great gate and enter the palace

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------