Dalmatia is the coastal region along the Adriatic Sea from the island of Pag in the North of Croatia to Kotor in the neighboring country of Montenegro. The long Dalmatian coast is one of the most touristic regions of Croatia thanks to the beauty of its sea, numerous scenic islands and also thanks to its rich ancient remains.

History of Dalmatia

The most ancient inhabitants of Dalmatia were probably Illyrians of which the current Albanians seem the last descendants. Other local inhabitants were Liburnians – the seafaring people inhabiting the coastline. The coastal area of Dalmatia was colonized then first by Phoenicians, then by Greeks.

In 181 BC, the Romans established their colony at Aquileia and took control of all Venetia in the north. Roman legions then moved southward, defeating the southern Illyrians and the local king Gentius in 167 BC. In 59 BC, Illyricum was assigned as a provincia to Julius Caesar, and the main Liburnian city of Iadera (modern Zadar) was proclaimed a Roman municipium.

But Roman rule in Illyricum stayed only nominal as local Illyrian and Liburnian pirates controlled large parts of the coast and systematically attacked trade routes. In 35 BC Octavian organized a major military operation, to finally stabilize Roman control over the province.

After the division of the empire in the 4^th century AD, Dalmatia was attributed to the Empire of the West, but shortly after the death of Honorius (423 AD) it was reunited with that of the East. After the fall of the Western empire, Dalmatia was conquered by the tribe of Heruli, and then it was attached to the kingdom of Ostrogoths. After that, during the rule of Justinian, the area fell again under the control of Constantinople.

Starting from the 6th-7th centuries, Dalmatia was controlled by Avars, then by Slavic tribes, who recognized the suzerainty of the Frankish emperors, but major cities on the coast fell in the 9^th century under control of the Greek empire. The area was controlled by local princes with alternate influence from Croatia, Byzantium and Venice.

Under the reign of Bela IV (1235-1270), Dalmatia was shortly invaded by the Mongols who were pushed back. In 1409, the King Ladislaus of Naples – an unsuccessful claimant to the kingdoms of Hungary and Croatia – sold his rights to Dalmatia to the Republic of Venice for 100,000 ducats. Dalmatia remained in Venetians possession until the end of the 18^th century.

In this article we will highlight all major Roman sites of the ancient Dalmatia, as well as most important archaeological museums of Dalmatia.  We are starting the journey with one of the main touristic destination of the Dalmatian coast – the city of Split.

Split and Diocletian Palace

The modern city of Split in the south of Croatia, Spalatum was originally founded as a colony by the Greeks from the Sicilian city of Syracuse. Known as Aspálathos, the colony was founded between the 3rd and 2nd centuries B.C. By merit of its position on the Dalmatian coast, the city was mainly used as port of passage, ferrying peoples around the Mediterranean.

Spalatum came under Roman control in the early part of the 1st century A.D. Under imperial control, the city flourished. It became an important port, prospering in the relative peace ensured by the Roman Empire. The apogee of Spalatum arrived in the later imperial period. It was at Spalatum that the Emperor Diocletian built his palace – the ruins of which areas of the modern city are built in. After the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 A.D., the city endured for a while as one of the most prominent cities in the Byzantine Empire.

Diocletian Palace

The Diocletian Palace in Split was built at the end of the 4th century as the retirement residence of Diocletian. One of the best preserved and impressive parts of it is the Peristyle – the central part of the Palace.

The Palace was decorated with 3500-year-old granite sphynxes dated to the times of the Egyptian Pharaoh Thutmose III. Three of them have survived. One is on the Peristyle, the second sits in front of Jupiter’ temple.

The Mausoleum of Diocletian later became the Cathedral of St. Domnius. The original dome had an oculus.

Decorative freeze refers to the after-life symbolism.

The Temple of Jupiter was built between 295 and 305 AD, and it is very well preserved.

The vaulted ceiling of the Temple consists of 64 panels, each with decorated sides.

Some panels have faces representing a particular emotion.

The so-called Vestibule is the Atrium of the Palace. Its roof has an opening called Oculus.

This is the Porta septemtrionalis or the Golden Gate & its inner view. On the left & right side of the gate are niches where the statues of the Tetrarchs stood: Diocletian, Maximian, Galerius and Constantius Chlorus. The door was defended by two octagonal towers since lost.

The Archaeological Park of the Ancient Salona

Salona has been inhabited by Illyrian tribes since before recorded history. It became a trading outpost during the 3rd century B.C. after being colonized by Greeks. The town grew to become one of the largest in its area, becoming one of the few urban centers in the region. Under Rome, which conquered the area at the end of the 2nd century B.C., it became capital of the province of Dalmatia as a reward for helping Caesar against his opponent Pompey.

Many of the civil structures that made Salona into the Dalmatian capital left ruins in a good state of preservation, such as the amphitheater and the aqueduct, and a large area of the city is still visible through the existence of partial perimeter walls. Inside the ruins an ancient Christian church stands between Roman ruins, attesting to the importance of early Christianity in Salona. The city was prosperous during roman times, but it was ruined by Avars in the 7th c. AD.

The archeological park of Salona is the place where the ruins of the ancient city still can be seen by visitors. The most prominent structure in the archaeological parc is the Amphitheater. Built in the 2nd century, it could have up to 18.000 spectators, compared to 60.000 inhabitants of Salona at that time. The structure was partly destroyed during the 17th century wars with Turkey.

The earlier part of the Roman city corresponds to the area around the Forum & Theatre – they are less prominent than the Amphitheater but still well visible today.

Salona had a mint connected with silver mines in the Dinaric Alps through Via Argentaria. Several other regional roads started from Salona gates, the best preserved being the the Porta Caesarea. Its stone paving still keeps traces of roman carts.

An aqueduct was built under Augustus – it carried water from the river Jadro, supplying the city and its Baths. The biggest bath is called Great Thermae – it occupies the prominent place in the eastern part of the city.

Since antiquity, Salona was an important Christian center. The oldest church of Salona was used since the middle of the 3rd century. Later, at its original location, a huge episcopal center was built in the 5th century AD.

Another Christian place just outside of Salona is the so-called “Manastirine”. The first complex was destroyed by Germans in the 3rd c., but a larger basilica was rebuilt here in the 5th c. Many martyrs killed in the nearby amphitheater were buried here.

Guests to Salona can also visit “Tusculum” – a memorial Museum dedicated to Frane Bulić, the first archaeologist of Salona. The facade of the Museum is using ancient parts.

Trogir – Hidden gems of the ancient Tragurion

The Greek Tragurion was founded as a trading outpost by colonists from the island of Vis in the 3rd c. BC –  modern Trogir has kept the same city plan.

The Greek city had megalithic walls – huge stones in the old city’ garden once belonged to these walls.

The City Museum hosts a small collection of roman tombstones and other monuments, but it also allows seeing remains of the ancient water conduct system & walls dated to Roman times.

Ancient stone monuments include a miliarium of Trajan, a representation the Illyrian god Sylvanus, an altar dedicated to Hercules as well as some examples of the very early Christian art (4th century AD).

One of the main highlights of the ancient Trogiris the relief of Kairos – God of Happy Moments. It is kept in the Benedictine nunnery of Trogir. Kairos appears on this exceptional relief as a naked young man with a tuft of hair – one needs to grab it at the right moment or the chance will be lost forever as Kairos is always in a hurry! The ancient Greeks had two words for “time”: chronos and kairos. The former refers to chronological time, and the latter signifies a moment of time in which something special happens. “Kairos” is used 86 times in the New Testament, whereas “chronos” is used there 54 times.