Physical Description
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Physically, Salona resembles any typical large Roman colony. At its
center was a forum, where people handled their legal and commercial affairs.
In the northwest corner of the city was an amphitheater, which could seat
15,000, and also formed part of the town's fortifications. The entire
city was surrounded by a wall, which were upgraded several times during
the Roman occupation. As would be expected from a Roman city of its
size, Salona had two major temples, baths, shops, and houses within its
walls. The aqueducts that brought water to the city and the palace
still serve Split today. Salona measured 1600 meters long by 700
meters wide.
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Occupying 28,900 square meters, Diocletian's palace combined aspects of
a fortress, a palace and a villa. Although the structure is commony
called Diocletian's palace, Diocletian never lived there during his reign
as Emperor. Thus, his palace could more accurately be called a luxury
retirement home. Its strong walls and many towers give the palace
the look of a military stronghold, and indeed, a large number of soldiers
could be housed there. However, the palace never came under serious
attack while it was under Roman control. Diocletian's palace was
roughly square, with a gate in the middle of three of the walls, and towers
on each of the corners. The sea came all the way up to the south
side of the palace, and there was consequently no need for a gate on that
wall. The northern half of the palace served as a barracks and servants
quarters, while the imperial apartments were located on the south side.
Between these two areas was the peristyle, where Diocletian performed any
official duties he still retained. The Emperor's mausoleum was located
just to the east of the peristyle. A child's simplistic depiction
of the palace serves to illustrate its general layout.
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