Diocletian's Palace

Diocletian’s Palace is an ancient, fortified palace complex built in the early fourth century Common Era (CE) by the Roman Emperor Diocletian. The emperor constructed the immense palace near his hometown in the Roman province of Dalmatia; today, the site makes up a large portion of Split, a city on the Adriatic coast of southern Croatia. Many of the modern streets run through the palace remains, which are home to more than three thousand people and numerous apartments, shops, and restaurants. Diocletian began building the palace about 295 CE and completed construction about a decade later. The complex included both the emperor’s residence and a fortress that housed a military garrison. The entire structure was about 705 feet (215 meters) long, 590 feet (180 meters) wide and spanned about 323,000 square feet (30,000 square meters). In addition to being named a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site, Diocletian’s Palace has also been used as a filming location for the popular television series Game of Thrones.

Background

At around 245 CE, a son named Diocles was born to a lower-class family in the city of Salona in the Roman province of Dalmatia. The province was located on the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea and included the modern nations of Albania, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Serbia. Diocles joined the Roman army, rising through the ranks to become a commander and, eventually, a member of the imperial bodyguard of Emperor Carus. Upon the emperor’s death in 283, Diocles continued in that role for Carus’ son Numerian.

Just a year into his reign, Numerian, who was considered a weak and indecisive ruler, was found dead under mysterious circumstances. Diocles accused Numerian’s father-in-law, Arrius Aper, of the emperor’s murder and killed Aper. Diocles gained the support of military generals and soldiers loyal to Numerian and was chosen as the next emperor. After defeating a challenge from Numerian’s brother, Carinus, Diocles assumed control over the full empire in 284 and took the title Diocletian.

During his reign, Diocletian realized that the empire had grown so large that it could not be effectively ruled from a single location and divided it into two halves. He named a subordinate to take command of the western empire in Rome while he maintained control over the eastern half. During a trip to Rome in 303, Diocletian fell ill and was eventually forced to step down as emperor in 305. He retired to his palace in Dalmatia, where he died in 311.

Overview

Diocletian began building his great palace in 295, choosing a site on the coast of the Adriatic Sea near Salona. The palace was actually a complex of structures that included the imperial residence, a military garrison, and a fortified town. It was surrounded by walls about 6.5 feet (2 meters) thick and about 80 feet (24 meters) tall at some points. The palace buildings were constructed from white limestone quarried from an island off the coast and marble imported from Greece and Italy. The construction was completed by 305, in time for Diocletian to take up residence.

The layout of the palace was meant to resemble a “perfect” Roman city, with a square design plan and two main streets that intersected in the middle. The four outside walls of the palace each had a large gate named after a metal important to the ancient Romans. The main gate to the north was named the Golden Gate, the southern gate that allowed access from the sea was called the Bronze Gate, to the east was the Silver Gate, and to the west was the Iron Gate. The east-west road running from the Silver and Iron Gates separated the dwellings and temples of the imperial residence to the south from the military and servant quarters to the north.

The palace included a ceremonial entrance courtyard, a main temple devoted to the Roman god Jupiter, and two temples honoring the goddesses Cybele and Venus. The palace was decorated with figures of sphinxes imported from Egypt, and its walls and ceilings adorned with designs made of tiled mosaics. Upon Diocletian’s death, he and his wife were buried in a large domed mausoleum shaped like an octagon. The palace continued to be used as a place of residence for the emperor’s family and a series of local leaders until the sixth century when it was mostly abandoned.

In the early seventh century, foreign armies invaded the region and attacked Salona, forcing many of the city’s residents to seek refuge in Diocletian’s former palace. They used the structure’s stone walls and columns to build homes and formed the beginnings of what would become the city of Split. Diocletian’s mausoleum was repurposed as the Cathedral of Saint Domnius, which remains one of the oldest surviving Christian churches to still use its original structure. With the remains of the palace at its center, the city grew to become a prosperous commercial hub in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Over the centuries, Split fell under the control of the Republic of Venice, Austria, and Yugoslavia before the creation of an independent Croatia in 1991.

In 1979, the remains of Diocletian’s Palace and the surrounding medieval city center of Split were named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Much of the ancient palace has long since been claimed by the city, which stood as the second largest in Croatia with a 2024 population of more than 160,577. About 3,000 people live within the site of the former palace, which is also home to more than 220 businesses, shops, and apartments.

Diocletian’s mausoleum still stands as the cathedral, though a large bell tower was added to the structure in the twelfth century. The temple of Jupiter also remains intact but was long ago transformed into a Christian baptistery. Three of the original sixteen towers that once guarded the palace walls still survive. The great gates that allowed entrance into the palace have been destroyed, though the large stone pillars and arches that once supported them remain standing. The upper levels of the emperor’s residence have also been lost; however, the palace’s basement not only remains intact but is remarkably well-preserved. In 2013 and 2014, the Home Box Office (HBO) fantasy series Game of Thrones used the palace basement as a filming location. The palace acted as the slave city of Meereen in the series’ fourth and fifth seasons.

Bibliography

Bousfield, Jonathan. “Split and the South Dalmatian Coast.” The Rough Guide to Croatia. Rough Guides, 2019.

“Diocletian’s Palace.” Croatia Traveller, www.croatiatraveller.com/Heritage‗Sites/Diocletian'sPalace.htm. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

“Diocletian’s Palace.” DiocletiansPalace.org, www.diocletianspalace.org. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

“Diocletian’s Palace.” Lonely Planet, www.lonelyplanet.com/croatia/dalmatia/split/attractions/diocletian-s-palace/a/poi-sig/445175/358789. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

“Filming Locations.” Game of Thrones Croatia, gameofthronestourcroatia.com/filming-locations-2. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Hill, Bryan. “The Palace of Diocletian: Roman Retirement Home and Palace Fortress of Croatia.” Ancient Origins, 3 July 2015, www.ancient-origins.net/ancient-places-europe/palace-diocletian-roman-retirement-home-and-palace-fortress-croatia-003353. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

“Historical Complex of Split with the Palace of Diocletian.” UNESCO World Heritage Centre, whc.unesco.org/en/list/97. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Noe, Barbara A. “In Diocletian’s Living Room.” National Geographic, 5 Mar. 2015, www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/intelligent-travel/2015/03/05/in-diocletians-living-room. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.

Wasson, Donald L. “Diocletian.” World History Encyclopedia, 2 Feb. 2014, www.worldhistory.org/Diocletian/. Accessed 25 Nov. 2024.