Suchergebnisse

Na temelju otkrića stupa s natpisom SCRIB COS, scrib(a) co(n)s(ularis) don Frane Bulić ubicirao je palaču namjesnika provincije Dalmacije gdje je potom pronađeno više slojeva mozaika s figuralnim prikazima (Apolona, Tritona i Orfeja) i geometrijskom ornamentikom. Analizom dokumentacije napravljene za vrijeme istraživanja 1942. godine, može se razlučiti osnovni oblik građevine, tj. klasični tip rimske vile sa središnjim atrijem, koja se nalazila uz glavni dekuman. Već na prvi pogled primjećuju se tijekom vremena znatna preuređenja pojedinih prostora i dvorana osnovnog korpusa palače, a osobito u vrijeme cara Dioklecijana. To nedvojbeno potvrđuje carev gentilicij Valeria u službenom nazivu grada naveden na reljefu salonitanske Tihe koji je tvorio dio lučnog ukrasa ulaza u namjesnikovu palaču. Autorica rekonstruira izgled monumentalnih vrata gdje se u ključnom kamenu nalazio prikaz Rome čiji je lik flankirao treći, zasad nepoznati reljef. ; Following up on an accidental discovery of a column that had on it the inscription SCRIB COS, scrib(a) co(n)s(ularis) back in 1916, Frane Bulic located the office of the governor's secretary, in other words, the palace of the governor of Dalmatia. In this place several layers of mosaics were found, Bulić focusing on those with depictions of Apollo, Triton and Orpheus, but in spite of all his efforts, he did not manage to buy the land. During World War II, Italian archaeologists carried out excavations in the palace during 1942 and at that time, extracted numerous mosaics, today partially exhibited in the Archaeological Museum in Split. Unfortunately, no accounts of the results of the Italian excavations were ever published, and it is only recently that Emilio Marin has provided part of the documentation of this research. Only a preliminary account of the governor's palace revealed in the Ilinac neighbourhood (Zubanovac, cadastral parcel 3551/1) has been published. Hence it is not possible to comprehend the totality of this monumental public building, or the unique stratigraphic relation of the individual mosaic fields with figural depictions or those with geometrical ornamentation that also formed a considerable part of the whole of the arrangement of the flooring. However, through an analysis of the architectural and photographic documentation made during the excavations known so far, it is possible to distinguish the basic shape of the building. It is a classic type of Roman villa with a central atrium. At first glance it is possible to make out the considerable remodelling of individual rooms and halls of the basic corpus of the 2nd century AD palace that took place over the course of time. The entry was on the northern façade, and then through the vestibule there was access into the atrium, the central space with porticos, around an impluvium enabling access to the other rooms. One the west side of the atrium is a series of four rectangular rooms, while on the eastern side was a room of much bigger dimensions with built square pylons regularly distributed around the central pylon. These are structural elements, i.e., bearers of the cross vaults that spanned the largest hall and on the floor above it was a room of the same size. The main hall was decorated with floor mosaics with rich floral ornamentation. These elements show the final renovation of the grand hall in Late Antiquity, undoubtedly influenced by the architecture of Diocletian's Palace. Belonging to the first layer is a mosaic showing the mythical singer Orpheus, over which is a mosaic with Triton, in the extension of which was a mosaic featuring Apollo. According to archival photography, mosaics with Triton and Apollo are above any of the other mosaics and probably belong to the last renovation of the mosaic floors of the governor's palace. The question here arises as to whether the placing of the figure of Triton is to be linked with inscriptions of a college from the time of Diocletian: sailors who served on ships called tritons, the names of which are written on altars during the annual ceremonies of Kalendis febr(aris) menestravinus at Tritonis. The governor's palace was much renovated, like other public buildings, in the time of Emperor Diocletian. Although for the moment only modest remains of his well known architectural activity have been confirmed in Salona, the emperor's gentile name in the official name of the city is stated in the relief of the Salona Tyche, confirming this beyond a doubt. Since the relief belongs to the arcuate decoration of the monumental gate, and is found by what are called Five Bridges, it has been assumed that it was originally placed on the nearby city gate, Porta Caesarea. But in the immediate vicinity of the site of the discovery of the arcuate relief there was the governor's palace. What was actually shown on the keystone of the arch beside the relief of the Salona Tyche? In a study dedicated to monuments of Minerva, D. Rendić-Miočević provides the information that together with the relief of Salonitan Tyche there was a relief found that had a depiction of a bust of Minerva or Roma on the arch stone of one of the gates in Salona. This relief of Roma is also displayed in the lapidarium of the Archaeological Museum, but is wrongly entered into the museum inventory (Cat. D 480), which has entirely suppressed its origins in Salona. That it belonged to the decorative parts of the same arch is shown beyond a doubt by the identical lines of the moulding around similarly formed niches and the stylistic characteristics of the female deities. It was above the main entrance into the governor's palace that there were prominent relief depictions of Roma, personification of the Roman state, and Salonitan Tyche, patroness of the city. This correlates very well with the context of the propaganda and religious programme of the residence of the governor of the province of Dalmatia. Over the main entrance, then, were displayed the official symbols of Roman rule. From this point of view it can be hypothesised what there might be on the third relief, which undoubtedly flanked the goddess Roma on the other side. Since in the name of Salona there was Diocletian's gentilicium, Valeria, which is an essential element for the time of the origin of the relief, that is, the decoration over the entrance of this important building for the government of the whole province, one should assume there was some symbol of the ruler, i.e., the emperor. It is an open question whether in this place one is to look for the figure of the ruler so present in and responsible for the renovation of not only this public building but of the whole of the capital, Salona, whence, when he stepped down from the throne, he was able still to take part in the government of the Empire.

U sjeveroistočnom dijelu Urbs Orientalis zapadno od Porta Andetria otkrio je E. Dyggve hram iz Dioklecijanova doba. S obzirom na to da je u blizini pronađena mramorna skulptura Venere Victrix, vjerojatno je u pitanju hram posvećen navedenoj božici. Salonitanski hram pokazuje znatnu povezanost s kultnim građevinama Dioklecijanove palače. Ne samo da arhitektonska skulptura potječe iz istih klesarskih radionica, već je možda isti tip kultnog kipa bio u Venerinu hramu carske Palače. To neosporno potvrđuje Dioklecijanovu građevinsku aktivnost u Saloni, glavnom gradu rimske provincije Dalmacije. ; With the familiar observation that in Salona it is "uncommonly difficult to discover any traces at all of pagan temples" Dyggve concluded that this clearly tells of the fundamental obliteration of the evidence of pagan cult buildings. In contrast to the few temples discovered to date, the many inscriptions dedicated to various deities or fragments of sculptures of individual patron deities show a reverence for the ancient cults. Votive monuments are sometimes found detached from their original context – cult buildings and the actual shrines the traces of which are rarely preserved. A tetrastyle temple on a high dais was put up in the oldest part of the city, the so-called Urbs vetus. This is the only cult building fully explored to date. Opposite the front elevation of the temple, a theatre was later built. Before the erection of the theatre, in the central part of the city there were a few more smallish temples observed during investigations. In the immediate vicinity of the theatre, Dyggve uncovered the forum, where in the northern part he determined the foundations of the first temples. Double temples of the common prostyle type on high built pedestals very likely derived from the time of Augustus. Apart from these temples in the oldest urban core of Salona – Urbs vetus, Dyggve discovered and partially excavated in 1931 one more temple in the new eastern part, the Urbs orientalis. Since he did not complete his investigation, he published an interim report on the excavations: "Within the town-wall stands another temple the masonry of which unfortunately is badly ruined. I have, however, succeeded in laying bare a number of details from rich marble decorations The building is of particular religiohistorical interest as it is certainly the last pagan temple that was erected in the town of Salona. It dates back to about the same time as the Palace of Diocletian," Dyggve's archives still retain a sketch of the discovered parts of the temple, in which one can recognise part of the longitudinal wall of the building, and a square base in front. Because of the place of the find, Dyggve called the pagan cult building found "Tempel ver Porta Andetria". To these architectural sketches and notes, two photographs of the architectural sculpture of the temple were attached, and these have been published. According to the archival photographs, it can be noticed that some of the architectural sculptures were made of marble, such as the acroterion of the roof of the temple and the very refined and rich ornamentation. Perhaps the capitals too were marble. which cannot be determined for certain from photograph documentation but this would tend to be confirmed by a large fragment of acanthus leaf, which very likely belonged to one of the capitals. Although only parts of corners with volutes and the beginning of the acanthus decoration and part of a simply moulded abacus are extant, the type of capital can be determined. They are very likely Corinthian capitals of the Asiatic type, similar to those of Proconnesian marble recently discovered from the Temple of Jupiter renovated at the time of Diocletian and located in the forum in the centre of Urbs orientalis. They are of the same time as the marble capitals that are today to be found in the Church of St Stephen on Sustipan, originally belonging to the so-called Small Temple in Diocletian's Palace. Other architectural decorations, as one can conclude from the documentation, imposts, friezes of frames and cornices of the doors of the temple were probably made out of local limestone, as in the temples in Diocletian's Palace. An invaluable specimen for the identification of the architectural sculpture of the previously found modest fragments of the Salona temple, according to the form and appearance of the ornamentation, is given almost entirely by the uniquely preserved Small Temple. It is not only a matter of the same type of architecture but of architectural decorations that came out of the same stone-carving workshops of domestic craftsmen, or imported imperial ones. This is supported by the employment of the same Corinthian capitals of the Asiatic type of Proconnesian marble used in the pagan cult buildings created in the same workshops and clearly commissions of the same time. This shows the incontrovertible connection of building activity between the imperial palace and Salona at the time of Diocletian. In the vicinity of the temple uncovered a marble sculpture of Venus Victrix with Cupid was found; it is placed on an oval pediment with the prominent inscription VENER(I) VICTR(ICI). Since the goddess's sculpture was found west of Porta Andetria, like the temple, Dyggve recorded it with the question mark "Venus Tempel?" He must then have hypothesised that the sculpture might have belonged to this cult building or that the temple might have been dedicated to Venus Victrix, although only the first traces of architecture and fragments of sculpture had been unearthed. In the Archaeological Museum in Split one more sculpture of Venus is displayed. Although only the lower part of the marble sculpture with a support in the form of a dolphin is extant, the characteristic iconography of Venus pudica can be recognised, of the same kind as the Salona statue of Venus Victrix. Because the sculpture was found in Split, city that sprang from Diocletian's Palace, its origin can be guessed at. In the imperial residence there were several temples, and probably numerous sculptures of the various deities, and imperial statues too, almost completely vanished by now, alas. North of Diocletian's residence, i.e. the imperial palace in the true sense of the word, there were several temples. According to historical sources, the temples were consecrated quite variously. The Temple of Jupiter was the biggest building, and is also considered the imperial mausoleum. The same titular is ascribed the prostyle temple built opposite, but Aesculapius and Janus have also been suggested. In the literature, the Small Temple is sometimes just called the Temple, as distinct from the Mausoleum of Diocletian, since some authors thought it was the only temple in the palace. In front of this uniquely preserved building of the perpendicular prostyle type on a raised dais, two temples of circular form were put up. According to the description of Antonius Proculianus the southern temple was consecrated to Cybele and was circular (in figura spherical et circulare), and the northern Venus temple was hexagonal (angulare hessagona). Perhaps the marble sculpture of Venus pudica with dolphin and Cupid was originally disposed as a cult statue of the Temple of Venus in Diocletian's Palace. In this context one should definitely point out the similarity of the choice of the Venus pudica type for the Salona sculpture of Venus victrix, which was probably the cult statue of a temple built at the time of Diocletian in the north east part of Urbs orientalis. The Salona temple of Venus Victrix put up by Porta Andetria shows some considerable connection with the cult edifices of the imperial palace. Not only do the architectural sculptures derive from the same stone-carving workshops, but similar types of statues of the deities might have been placed in them. Venus Victrix, symbol of the absolute supremacy and prosperity of the Roman Empire, was particularly revered in the official religion of the Empire. Her political importance was highlighted in the civil wars that preceded the creation of the Empire, and she figures all the way until Late Antiquity. This is confirmed by the clear symbolism of the Salona temple with the cult statue of the Victrix, and perhaps the same type of cult statue was in the Temple of Venus of the imperial palace. In this context, it is important to reconfirm Dyggve's statement that Diocletian's Palace needs looking at from the angle of Salona, because of the tight connections it had with Salona, which will undoubtedly be borne out by future investigations into the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia.

U crkvi sv. Kaja u Solinu nalazi se rimski "sarkofag" s prikazom Heraklovih djela, izvorno isklesan u litici unutar male spilje. Spomenik u obliku sanduka u neposrednoj blizini zapadne salonitanske nekropole bio je presudan da se u dosadašnjoj literaturi protumači kao antički sarkofag. Budući da je podzemni potok izvirao u spilji, a voda se skupljala u kamenom recipijentu s Heraklovim reljefima, odakle je otjecala, autorica prepoznaje Heraklovo svetište u prirodi. Tradicija o posvećenoj vodi sačuvana je do danas štovanjem Sv. Kaja pape, potvrđujući važnost antičkog izvora posvećenog Heraklu. ; During the visit of Austrian Emperor Francis I to Dalmatia as well as to the monuments of Salona, in a little cave, what was called a sarcophagus with depictions of the labours of Heracles was discovered. Carved out of the living rock, it was protected first of all by the building of a chapel, and then of a church dedicated to St Caius the Pope, in which it served as an altar. The labours of the very popular deified hero of the antique world, the Greek Heracles, or the Roman Hercules, were shown in high relief. These are individual scenes of his life, particularly of the well-known cycle of the 12 Labours performed for the king of Mycenae: Heracles and Cerberus, Heracles taking Alcestis from the underground, Heracles and the Stymphalian birds, and the apples of the gardens of the Hesperides. Since the reliefs are carved on a stone chest the appearance of which recalls a sarcophagus, and since it lies in the immediate vicinity of the western Salona necropolis, this was crucial for the monument in the literature to date having been interpreted as an antique sarcophagus. This was contributed to by its identification with the tomb of St Caius Pope and Martyr, since it was used as altar in the sanctuary of the church dedicated to him. However the very existence of a spring and of the water that collected in the stone chest, a recipient, with the reliefs of Heracles, from which it flowed out as if consecrated, rules out the possibility of interpreting the monument as antique sarcophagus. It is very likely a shrine to Heracles placed in nature. The tradition about the holy water has been preserved down to this very day through the cult and reverence for St Caius the Pope, confirming the importance of the ancient spring dedicated to Heracles. The monument, of a very high artistic quality, the stone of which is polished until it resembles marble, was created by the local craftsmen of the Salona workshops according to models of imported plastics, which figured a lot in Salona. Heracles's shrine in nature with a spring in the rocks of a cliff from which reliefs with the exploits of Heracles were carved out is an outstanding example of a cult of a deified ancient hero. According to finds to date, reverence for Heracles was extremely widely distributed in the Roman province of Dalmatia, particularly in the capital and environs. The placing of a sculpture in the city forum of the Roman colony of the meritorious military veterans in Aequum or in some private settings, as N. Cambi considers with respect to two Salona sculptures found in the channels of the Jadro River, that is, by the Five Bridges or in the nearby ancient quarries, confirms the places and context of the Heracles cult. From this point of view, the cult of Heracles at a spring, as shrine in nature - perhaps once a Iucus Herculis, today the Church of St Caius, is an exceptional example, which considerably enriches our understanding of the cult of Heracles in the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. According to the examples in Pula of Heracles shrines in nature directly linked with sources and watercourses, something similar can be assumed with respect to the cult and the reverence for it in Salona. That is, the find of a sculpture of Heracles with the Apples of the Hesperides by the Five Bridges, where the 48 channel of the Jadro flowed , and the spolia of a relief of Heracles in battle with the Nemean lion in the floor of the cathedral in the immediate vicinity perhaps belonged to the same shrine of Heracles, also alongside a watercourse. We do not know the precise place of the Roman copy of the Lysippus statue the so-called Weary Heracles found in a channel of the river of the eastern part of the town. For this reason in Urbs Orientalis, where many channels and springs were discovered in archaeological research, the reverence for the cult of Heracles was discovered, and precisely perhaps as a patron of water. In this context, the shrine in nature in St Caius's harmonises very well, however, with the topic of Heracles as patron of springs and the underworld, which shows the reverence for the most popular hero of the ancient world in Roman Dalmatia in a very new light.

Na sjevernim gradskim bedemima Salone započet je novi projekt obnove jedinstvenog spomenika fortifikacijske arhitekture. Izvorno podignut za vrijeme cara Marka Aurelija 170. g., tijekom posljednjih stoljeća antike, stalno se popravlja i dograđuje novim zidnim pojačanjima, mnogobrojnim istaknutim kulama i trokutastim bastionima. Ponovno otkriven perimetralni plašt, na pojedinim mjestima sačuvan u punoj veličini sto jasno pokazuje znatnu moć antičkog graditeljstva, pridonijeti ce osvjetljivanju urbanističkog razvoja glavnoga grada rimske provincije Dalmacije. ; The ruins of Salona, capital of the Roman Province of Dalmatia, have long drawn the attention of many scientists, whose first efforts were concerned with establishing the original size and appearance of the city. D. Farlati, C. Lanza and V. Andrić drew ground plans of the remains which were visible at the time. However, F. Carrara started the first systematic topographic research in 1846, and his ground plan is still used today as a basis for insights into the history of ancient Salona. The city's irregular shape was enclosed by walls with a total length of 4,077 metres, fortified with towers of which 88 have been rediscovered. During his research, F. Carrara discovered several city gates which had been previously unknown (Porta Andetria, Porta Caesarea, Porta Suburbia, Porta Capraria and the Western Gate). He made more detailed excavations in the north-eastern part of the city, where the remains of walls and towers, up to 33 feet high, were best preserved. He noticed various fortification elements - several layers of walls and towers, some with adjoining triangular bastions. He considered the first phase of the fortification to have been completed as early as the 2nd century BC, and several inscriptions showed that parts of the walls were built during the reign of Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Carrara observed that the walls had been considerably reinforced by the addition of towers during Diocletian's time. He believed that the triangular bastions were the final element of Salona's fortification. The inscription (CJL JII 1984) suggests that these were probably added when all the towers were renovated, during the rule of Theodosius II. E. Dyggve also researched the walls of Salona and came to more or less the same conclusions. Dyggve was most interested in the urban development of Salona; he established the location of the oldest, central part of the city and described the eastward and westward spread of urban development. Some authors, including W. Gerber and H. Kahler, have investigated the oldest city gate, the Porta Caesarea, and made suggestions for its reconstruction. H. Kahler also examined the visible parts of the walls which had been excavated at that time near the Porta Caesarea and in the north-east part of city, and tried to establish a relative chronology. D. Rendić Miočević paid particular attention to the oldest part of Salona and discovered a square corner tower at the junction of the northern and eastern walls. The Split Conservation Department of the Ministry of Culture commenced protective conservation work on the northern ramparts in 1997. After a considerable time a neglected stretch of wall, reinforced by numerous towers, was exposed to view north of Porta Andetria up to the corner where it turns towards Porta Caesarea. Don F. Bulić had constructed a walkway on the inside of the walls from this point, connecting the north-east and north-west corners of the city. The walls were at that time mostly half-concealed with earth, but some segments, preserved up to their original height, were left visible. Two significant segments of the excavated ruins of the northern walls are particularly impressive: one is the complex at Bilankuša with towers nos. 78-81 which have already been investigated; the other is part of the outer shell and its associated towers, nos. 53-60, which remain at almost their original height. Preventative conservation work has been done on the weakened and uncovered walls, after completion of survey, of photogrammetric, architectural and geophysical records and research. Many fragments of inscriptions and architectural decorations were discovered during this work, mainly material from tombstones which had been re-incorporated into later structures. They came probably from the ancient necropolis which stretched along the ancient street from Porta Caesarea to the north-east, an area which was later incorporated in the secondary ring of walls (the Urbs orientalis). Further inscriptions discovered on the walls between towers 74 and 75 showed that Emperor Marcus Aurelius (CIL III 8570, 6374) was responsible for their construction. About ten late-antique amphorae, mostly spatheia dating from the 5th to the 7th centuries, were discovered in the in-fill immediately behind this original segment of the wall, which has been accurately dated from the inscriptions. The fact that they were found in the in-fill between two walls indicates that major repair work had been undertaken on the fortifications. Similar secondary use of amphorae in the Salona fortification system had been found earlier near tower no. 60. These were of types Dressel 32 and 34, dated between the 4th and the 5th centuries, but remained in use until much later. The complex defence system of the ancient Salona consisted of a series of elements which today provide better insight into the inception and development of the city. It has not been established precisely when the walls of Salona were first built, nor when the Italics and the Romans settled permanently and created their own town on the territory of the indigenous Dalmatic settlement and the of Issaian emporium. Research to date clearly indicates that old lines of communication were respected and that the town followed the contours of the terrain at its inception, as is clear from the irregular shape of the perimeter walls which were built in accordance with contemporary building practise, and the skill of military architects. A new city gate, Porta Caesarea, flanked by octagonal towers, was made in the existing walls at the beginning of the Empire. An aqueduct constructed above the city gate and associated cisterns provided exceptional fire protection of the most vulnerable segment of the fortifications. The threat of barbarian attack led to the construction of a new ring of walls during Marcus Aurelius' reign by the locally stationed military units coh I Del and coh II Del, and by vexilationes leg II Piae et III Concordiae who were urgently summoned from the Province of Pannonia. Inscriptions on the wall show clearly that some sections were built under supervision of the military commanders of these units and that there was simultaneous work on several sections (CIL III 1979, 1980, 8570, 6374). Relatively few towers were built when the walls were first constructed. More were created when new dangers became apparent, especially on the northern ramparts which were naturally most exposed to the enemy. The date of their construction is an open question: it is likely that most were built before the beginning of the 5th century, because there is evidence that they were renovated around that time (CIL III 1984). Further research is needed to establish whether the triangular bastions were added during the renovation, or whether they were built during military operations associated with the Gothic-Byzantine wars. Walls were occasionally strengthened where the defences were weak or for better communication between the protruding towers. The laws of the period (Cod. Theod, XI, 17, 4; XV, l, 49) assigned continuing responsibility for renovation and upkeep of the walls to the community as a whole. During the rule of Theodosius II at the beginning of the 5th century, for example, all the towers, and perhaps all the walls which had been destroyed, were renovated. Constantianos executed emergency repairs to the weakened wails during the Gothic-Byzantine wars, and an outer trench was constructed (Procop. , Bell. Goth. V, 7, 9; 7, 26-31; 16). During the last centuries of the ancient world, the complex defence system around the capital of the Province consisted of walls, doubly reinforced in several places by additional walls, towers and bastions, and by embankments and trenches to form a unique example of fortification architecture. Some segments of the walls of Salona are preserved at their original height of almost ten metres, which show the power and might of ancient architecture, as in other sparsely preserved perimeters of ancient cities such as the walls of Theodosius in Constantinople and of Aurelian in Rome.