CROATIA 4710 metres0 yards500500THE RUINS OF SALONA
Amphitheatre 7
Baths 3
Bishop’s Complex 4
Caesarea Gate 5
Forum 9
Necropolis of Kapljuč 6
Necropolis of Manastirine 1
Necropolis of Marusinac 0
Theatre 8
Tusculum 2Key to Symbols see back flapVISITORS’ CHECKLIST255 km (158 miles) NE of
Dubrovnik. @ from Split.
n (021) 210 048. Ruins
# summer: 7am–7pm; winter:
call to check opening times.
8 http://www.solin-info.comSnack bar Walls and
aqueductModern
townand Honorius’s Basilica,
which had a Greek cross plan.
This is also the site of what
remains of the impressive
Caesarea Gate, which features
arches flanked by two octa-
gonal towers, displaying the
advanced building tech niques
used by the Romans in the
imperial era.
Moving west along the walls,
visitors reach the Necropolis
of Kapljuč, another early
Christian burial site, and then
the imposing ruins of the
Amphitheatre, in the western
most part of the settlement.
The amphitheatre, in brick,
was probably covered in stone
and stood in the newer part
of the town on the northwest
edge of the Old Town (Urbs
Vetus) close to the walls.
According to hist orians, it
could seat 20,000 people.
The foundations and a part of
the lower tribune have been
exca vated and the discovery
of a network of underground
chan nels has led to the theory
that simulated naval battles
were held in the arena. The
amphi theatre’s construc tion
date was contro versial
for a long time, but it
has now been dated
to the second half of
the 2nd century AD.
From the amphi theatre,
another path leads to
the Theatre at the edge
of the Old Town. This
was built in the first
half of the 1st cen tury
AD and part of the
stage and the founda -
tions of the stalls have been
excavated. Next to the theatre
is the Forum, the polit ical and
commercial heart of the town.
Unlike the forum in Zadar
(see p478), the pav ing was
dismantled and only the
foun da tions remain. In the
Roman era, some of the most
important buildings stood
around the Forum, which
began to be built in the 1st
century AD and were subse-
quently modi fied.
The best preserved Roman
construction of ancient Salona
is the aqueduct, built to bringwater from the Jadro river
to the town, and extended
during the reign of Diocletian
to reach his palace (see
pp468–9) in Split. Repair work
was carried out at the end
of the 19th century and the
southern part of the aque duct
is still in use. Along side the
walls it is possible to see
some parts of the aqueduct –
more evi dence of the great
skill of Roman civil engineers.
From the theatre, visitors
return to the Necro polis of
Manastirine. North of this
stands the Necropolis of
Marusinac, built outside
the ancient town around
the tomb of St Anastasius.The Basilica Urbana in the Bishop’s Complex
The Amphitheatre, of which only a part of the lower tribune remainsURBS NOVA
ORIENTALISURBS VETUSURBS NOVA
OCCIDENTALISSplit