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DIOCLETIAN’S PALACE BASEMENT TEMPLE OF JUPITER
DIOCLETIAN’S PALACE BASEMENT
I was a bit skeptical about paying a fee to go into a ‘basement,’
but it was actually one of the most interesting Diocletian Palace
sights. Information about the cellars of Diocletian’s Palace were
presented on plaques (in English).
Archaeologists have been digging through the Diocletian’s
Palace underground for the past 50 years. The contents of
the well-preserved palace basement have helped in piecing
together information about the palace and the history of
Split, Croatia.
The palace was built on land that sloped to the sea and the
basement was built to support and level the upper floors
of the palace. The cavernous rooms show an exact floor plan
of the original residential area of the palace, which has been
long gone.
After the fall of Rome, the palace was left to ruins. It was again
inhabited in 641 by citizens seeking protection from the Slavs.
As the residents moved in, they tossed their rubbish in the
basement. Recent excavations have found evidence of both
temporary and permanent housing structures from the 6th
and 7th centuries, as well as water wells and an olive oil press
from early medieval times. Walking through the vast, moisturerich
rooms allowed us to imagine what the decorated upstairs
might have looked like.
TEMPLE OF JUPITER SPLIT
The Jupiter Temple Split, located down the narrow alley off
the Peristil Square opposite the Split Cathedral entrance, was
built in the 4th century AD. It was converted into a church in
the 6th century —
and in front of it is one of the Diocletian’s
Palace sphinxes (although this one is headless).
ETHNOGRAPHIC MUSEUM
Unfortunately, there isn’t a great deal of information in English,
but we spent some time looking at the traditional clothes,
lacework, furniture, weapons and tools that were used by the
early citizens of Split.
The one gem in the Ethnographic Museum was the Church
of St. Andrew de Fenestris. Originally, it was an open room
in the palace that was transformed into a church in the 7th
century. Only fragments of the altar and stonework remain.
Kris and Sarah are full-time travelers who retired to a life of exploring the
world and sharing their experiences. Ever optimistic about the world we
inhabit, they have a glass-half-full mentality, and their glass is refillable.
Read more of their journeys at JetSettingFools.com.
Split