Salona (, ) was an ancient city and the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia and near to Split, in Croatia. It was one of the largest cities of the late Roman Empire with 60,000 inhabitants. It was the last residence of the final western Roman Emperor Julius Nepos and acted as the de facto capital of the Western Roman Empire during the years 476–480.
Salona was founded in the third century BC and was mostly destroyed in the invasions of the Avars and Slavs in the seventh century AD.
Many Roman characteristics can be seen such as walls, a forum, a theatre, an amphitheatre, public baths and an aqueduct.
Location
Salona was founded on a sheltered inlet on the coast. Salona is located in the modern town of Solin, next to Split, in Croatia. The terrain around Salona slopes gently seaward and is typical karst, consisting of low limestone ridges running east to west with marl in the clefts between them.
History
Salona grew in the area of the Greek cities of Tragurium and Epetium on the river Jadro in the third century BC. It was the birthplace of Roman Emperor Diocletian. In the first millennium BC, the Greeks set up a marketplace. Salona had also been in the territory of the Illyrian Delmatae, before the conquest of the Romans. Salona became the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia, because it sided with the future Roman Dictator Gaius Julius Caesar in the civil war against Pompey. Martia Iulia Valeria Salona Felix (the full name of the ancient city) was founded probably after the Roman civil wars under Julius Caesar. The early Roman city encompassed the area around the Forum and Theatre, with an entrance, the Porta Caesarea, on the north-east side. The walls were fortified with towers during the reign of Augustus. The early trapezoidal shape of the city was transformed by the eastern and western expansion of the city.
The city quickly acquired Roman characteristics: walls, a forum, a theatre, an amphitheatre which are the most conspicuous above-ground remains today, public baths, and an aqueduct. Many inscriptions in both Latin and Greek have been found both inside the walls and in the cemeteries outside, since Romans forbade burials inside the city boundaries. Several fine marbles sarcophagi from those cemeteries are now in the Archaeological Museum of Split. All this archaeological evidence attests to the city's prosperity and integration into the Roman Empire. Salona had a mint that was connected with the mint in Sirmium and gold and silver mines in the Dinaric Alps through Via Argentaria.
When the Roman Emperor Diocletian retired, he erected a monumental villa (palace) in a suburban location (6 km away). This massive structure, known as Diocletian's Palace, after Salona's fall became the core of the city of Split (Spalatum). Diocletian's tomb was reportedly also somewhere near Salona. The Salonitan bishop held the position of metropolitan bishop of Dalmatia. After the fall, bishopric and other remains were transferred to Split (see Archbishopric of Spalathon).
Salona was the only Eastern Adriatic port-city listed in Diocletian's Edict on Maximum Prices, and out of all listed port-cities it had most maritime connections (those being with Alexandria, Ephesus, Nikomedia, Seleucia Pieria, and Carthago). The connection with Ravenna was also prominent.
Fall
thumb|Part of the Salona ruins.
In the early seventh century the Roman limes on river Danube and Sava fell and was militarily abandoned, leaving Roman province of Dalmatia open for conquest. The events of the fall of the city because of its location are relevant to the understanding when the province and coastal cities periphery succumbed to barbaric invasion. Pope Gregory I in July 600 wrote to the archbishop of Salona, Maximus, in which he expresses concern about the arrival of the Slavs ("de Sclavorum gente quae vobis valde imminet et affligor vehementer et conturbor"). According to De Administrando Imperio (tenth century) and Thomas the Archdeacon's Historia Salonitana (thirteenth century), Salona was largely destroyed in the seventh century invasions of the Avars and Slavs (more specifically the Croats per Thomas the Archdeacon who also identified them with Goths and Slavs The city was reportedly conquered by trickery when the Avar-Slavs, previously defeating a Roman army dispatched from Salona/Klis at the river Danube or Sava (possibly also near Cetina Refugees from Salona settled in other coastal and island cities (Decatera, Ragusa, Spalato, Tetrangourin, Diadora, Arbe, Vekla and Opara) and inside Diocletian's Palace.
The exact date of destruction and fall is uncertain. Pope John IV sent abbot Martin (possibly future Pope Martin I) to Dalmatia in 641 to redeem captives, which was interpreted that Salona must have been destroyed before that date. As Salona's refugees are also said by Thomas the Archdeacon to have founded Ragusa around 625 it meant that Salona had to be destroyed around 625 or before.
The new Slavic population settled outside the ruins to the East near river Jadro, where Old-Croat graves can be found. In the tenth and eleventh centuries, Croatian kings founded and rebuilt three churches, of which of St. Stephen was used as a royal mausoleum of Croatian Kings (with found sarcophagus of Croatian Queen Helen of Zadar), while of St. Peter and Moses (so-called Hollow Church) was crowned king Demetrius Zvonimir. The archaeologically confirmed information is found in Historia Salonitana.
Architecture
Various town structures have been excavated.
Manastirine
thumb|Remnants of the Basilica and cemetery outside of the townThese are the remnants of the Basilica and cemetery outside of the town. The earliest parts of the complex date back to the second century BC. The bishop and martyr Domnio was buried here after being executed in the arena of the amphitheater on 304AD.