Most Recent Visit: July 2022 The Roman settlement of Lucus Augusti (also sometimes called Lucus Asturum) seems to have been founded sometime after the conclusion of the Cantabrian Wars in 19 BCE. One of the primary belligerents in the war were the Gallaeci, a broad tribal group that occupied the far northwestern corner of the…
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Continued From Spalatum – Part IV There are a few other archaeological points of interest in Split outside the walls of Diocletian’s Palace. There’s a large park area out in front of the Golden Gate crisscrossed by a few connecting roadways that eventually link up with Ulica Domovinskog Rata, one of the main arteries through…
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Continued from Spalatum – Part III A bit of a winding passageway is the only egress from the triclinium area of the palace and back toward the north. Near the entrance to the passage is a column capital mounted on a short pedestal. The passage winds for about 40 meters before opening up into an…
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Continued From Spalatum – Part II At the southwest corner of the peristyle is the Skočibušić-Lukaris Palace, rebuilt in the 15th century CE but with an uncertain original construction date. The building now houses the Treasury of the Split Cathedral as well as the ticket office for a number of sites managed by the cathedral….
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Continued From Spalatum – Part I Through the west side of hall 6a of the basement area of Diocletian’s Palace are two portals (directly opposite the two on the east side of the room) that lead to another small ventilation corridor (corridor 5). Unlike corridor 7, this opens back up to hallway Y at the…
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Most Recent Visit: June 2025 The settlement that would later become Spalatum under the Romans was originally founded by settlers from the Greek colony of Issa (modern Vis), located on an island of the same name about 50 kilometers off the coast. The colony was established as Spalathos (or Aspalathos) on a natural harbor on…
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Continued From Aptera Part I The cisterns that supplied the Baths I are located just a few meters from the south end of the bathing complex, though the remnants of that part of the baths are sparse. These covered cisterns are perhaps the main attraction of the site, with the vaulted roofs of the three…
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Most Recent Visit: June 2025 The ancient city of Aptera (or Aptara) was located on a strategic plateau above the south side of the mouth of the Souda Bay in northwestern Crete. One derivation given for the name is from the mythological singing contest between the Sirens and the Muses that was said to have…
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Continued From Carsulae, Umbria Part I Standing at the west end of the forum is seemingly a single building; the so-called Republican Temple. This has commonly been identified as the Capitolium. Though it appears to be a single edifice, there are actually two buildings constructed on a single podium. While the temple at the south…
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Most Recent Visit: August 2024 The Roman city of Carsulae seems to have been founded around 220 BCE, when a branch of the Via Flaminia was built through the region between Rome and Ariminum. The exact date of foundation is not known, though. Prior to 3rd century BCE, the city was in the territory of…
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