Historians are more kind to Diocletian as his reforms probably extended the hegemony of the Western Roman empire for another century. When he arrived, the barbarians were at the gate and probably would have wiped out the empire. Instead, Diocletian reestablished order (which meant a return to the traditional gods, not those new ones of the upstart Christians.) He negotiated with Iran -- only to have them break the peace.Above is a medieval view of Split. The Venetians added the star-pointed fortifications when they dominated Dalmatia for 4 centuries. The nearly perfect rectangle on the right side is the house that Diocletian built. It held 10,000 people including his protective army. Well fortified, it protected the population who moved in after the Avars (a Slavic people) destroyed the important Roman city just north of here in 614 ACE. Diocletian built well; a succession of invaders through this area never penetrated the 6-foot-thick walls of his palace. What was the suburb became the city.
First |
Previous Picture |
Next Picture |
Last
