EUROPA - NATIONAL ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES, SALONA

At the foot of the southern slopes of a modest mountain, now called Kozjak, in a fertile valley through which a plentiful river, today known as the Jadro, flows, and along the gentle shores of a sea bay, humans have lived since early history. Modest remains of material culture date back to the Neolithic period, while more numerous Bronze and Iron Age finds bear witness to the life of the Illyrian Delmatae and their interactions with Greek colonizers of the Adriatic. Salona developed as a Delmataean port and, besides attracting the Delmatae and Issaean Greeks, it also became of interest to Roman traders and soldiers. At the height of the Roman conflicts with the Illyrians, Roman proconsul Lucius Caecilius Metellus wintered with his army in Salona in 119 BC. He subdued the Illyrians and strengthened Roman rule on the eastern Adriatic coast. During the civil war between Caesar and Pompey in the mid-1st century BC, Salona sided with the victor – Caesar – and was rewarded with the status of a colony under the full name Colonia Martia Iulia Salona. It became the administrative center of Illyricum, later the province of Dalmatia. After the suppression of the last Illyrian uprising – the rebellion of Bato from 6 to 9 AD – a period of peace and prosperity began. Salona became a hub for traders of the ancient world and rapidly developed: theaters, an amphitheater, baths, a forum, temples and basilicas were built. Its importance exceeded local boundaries, and there is a well-founded assumption that Emperor Marcus Aurelius intended to relocate the Empire's center to Salona at the end of the 2nd century, should the Marcomanni and Quadi invade deep into Italy. The city experienced significant development during the reign of Diocletian, at the end of the 3rd century, and, along with the honorary title Valeria, derived from the emperor's gentilician name, it was given the epithet felix, the happy Salona. It is believed that at that time, with its suburbs, the city had a population between 40,000 and 60,000 inhabitants. At that time, the Christian community in Salona was expanding and gradually growing stronger. In the beginning, it met secretly in private homes, experiencing and surviving persecutions. Many Christians bore witness to their faith through martyrdom, and among them, the most distinguished was Bishop Domnio. Christianity flourished in Salona after the Edict of Milan in 313 AD. Religious life at the end of antiquity left many traces in the architectural heritage, primarily the cathedral complex with two basilicas, a baptistery and the bishop's palace. The city was already in decline when, in the mid-7th century, the Avars, together with the Slavs, arrived, conquered and destroyed it. The inhabitants fled to the islands and to the nearby Diocletian's Palace, which became the core of medieval Split. The cult of the Salonitan martyrs was transferred to Split, which, in a religious sense, became the successor of Salona. Later, the Croats arrived in this area, settling outside the old Roman city, the buildings of which were gradually decaying. The amphitheater remained in the area the longest, although it was consciously and systematically destroyed. It was used as a quarry and gradually dismantled. Finally, it was demolished by the Venetians in the 17th century, fearing that it could serve as shelter for the Turks. The remains of Salona today constitute the largest archaeological park in Croatia, and they are cared for by the Split Archaeological Museum in cooperation with the local community. Marko Matijević