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diocletian's palace

The present connecting to the past: let us learn of  Diocletian’s palace.
The structure, built for the  Roman emperor between the end of the III and early IV century. A. D., has, over the centuries, served different  functions, and now provides the perimeter wall surrounding the ancient town of Split. This fact gives an idea of  how impressive and extensive  the palace must have been at the  time of its construction.

Diocletian chose Dalmatia  to spend his last years of life, and wanted a fortress-home- entirely devoted to self reverence. The palace, therefore, embodies a combination of  the  Roman concept of "villa" (the  place of residence) with the idea of a fortified citadel, the  walls of which still bear witness to the historical events of the Late Empire. Diocletian's Palace presents the typical structure of Roman military camps: divided into four distinct areas created by the intersection of two main roads, the cardo and decumanus (incidentally, this urban architectural feature is a common trait in all Roman cities). At the four corners, four powerful watchtowers rise, which served to the emperor and his guards to better monitor the surrounding areas, during an era marked by continuous invasions and attacks. 

In short, Diocletian's Palace is a site  of  great historical and artistic interest, which bears witness to the magnificence  but also to the decline of the  Roman Empire during the later years.
 

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