Salona Ruins: Walking Through the Ancient Streets of Dalmatia's Roman Capital - Personal Impressions, How to Reach by Car or Public Transport & Comprehensive Tour of Key Sights
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8 km north of Split are the ruins of the ancient city of Salona. It was a city of the Illyrians, and later became the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia (Emperor Diocletian was from here), because of its strategic and economic importance.
Today, only ruins remind of the former glory and grandeur of the ancient city, which attracts a large number of tourists who want to get in touch with the centuries-old history of the city.
In this article I will tell you about how to visit this place, how to get there, about excursions and what you can see there.
Salona - a Croatian ghost town: what it is and a bit of its history
Just a few kilometers from Split is a town whose first mention in history dates back to 119 B.C. It is the ancient Illyrian Dalmatian town of Salona. Julius Caesar himself walked along its streets. The famous Roman Emperor Diocletian came from here. And now, you can visit it too.
Wikipedia claims that it was founded 8 centuries earlier – in the first millennium BC, but I have not found any other confirmation of this fact.
In the first century BC, Salona was conquered by the Romans. In the civil war between Caesar and Pompey, Salona took Caesar’s side. For this loyalty, the emperor granted the city the status of colony and capital of the ancient Roman province of Dalmatia.
Another Roman emperor, Diocletian, according to historians, was born in this city. He granted the small homeland an honorary title of the family name of emperors – “Valeria”.
In the interval between IV-VI centuries Salona was an important center of Christianity, as evidenced by unique archaeological finds. Around 614, Salona was destroyed and sacked by Slavic and Avar tribes. After these events, the city lost its importance irrevocably.
Ruins of the ancient city of Salona
Where is the town of Salona and how to reach it
The ruins of the ancient city of Salona are located 8 km north of Split.
The easiest way to get to Salona is by private or rented car. I have a great article about renting a car in Croatia on my website, I suggest you take 15 minutes and read it.
Location of Salona on the map
You can also get to Solina from Split by cab or bus.
Bus routes:
- nr.1;
- nr.2;
- nr.16;
- nr.37;
- nr.38.
Buses nr.1 and nr.16 run from the Croatian National Theater in the city center, and nr.2 runs from the city port – in my opinion, these are the most convenient routes.
What to see at the Salona, my impressions from my visit
Caesar’s ginormous eastern city gate has been preserved since ancient times.
The next historical phase of Croatian history is immortalized here in the tombs of Bishop Domnius, the priest Asterius Kapliuc and four of Diocletian’s bodyguards, as evidenced by the basilicas.
The episcopal center is monumental, with two large basilicas, a baptistery and a Baptistery built inside. Curious are the remains of a large temple in the shape of a Greek cross.
I invite you to take a short walk with me through the ghost town and see what remains of the former relic. Next, I’ll talk about the 7 main sites of Salona.
After leaving my car in the free parking lot, I walked down to the city walls, behind which you can see the first cluster of ruins.
Ruins of the once great Roman city of Salona
City walls
The city walls were built over several centuries and are well preserved in the northern part of Salona. They were 4,080 meters long and vary in height from 1.9 to 2.5 meters.
After descending the stairs from the city walls and walking a few meters, tourists find themselves surrounded by broken columns, among which the Baptistery is hidden.
Remains of the city walls of Salona
Baptistery
The baptistery was an octagonal building with an attached room where new parishioners studied religion and prepared for baptism.
The floor of this room was covered with a mosaic depicting two deer drinking from a kanfar (an ancient Greek cup-shaped vessel), and above them was an inscription: “As the deer rush to the springs of water, so my soul desires God”.
Having learned the basics of Christianity, the disciple could enter the baptistery, in the center of which a cross-shaped font was installed. After the rite of baptism, he became a true member of the Christian community. During the last restoration works, the font was covered with red bricks.
The baptistery, or rather what’s left of it
The Great City Thermae
Just behind the Baptistery are the ruins of the thermae. According to ancient Roman customs and traditions, cities had public baths in addition to private baths in luxurious private houses and villas.
And best of all, the Great City Thermae (the Great City Baths) have been preserved in Salone. Here you can see all the main parts of this once popular favorite: the open square (peristyle), the changing rooms, the massage room, the exercise room, the steam rooms, and the rooms with cold, warm and hot pools.
The architecture and composition of the thermae allow archaeologists to assume that the date of their construction dates back to the end of the 2nd – beginning of the 3rd century AD. During the late Roman era, when Christian ideals had already spread over the country, it became less popular to visit the thermae, and their premises were given to a religious temple.
The walls of the building were painted white, and crosses – symbols of the new ideology – were carved on the stone columns.
What’s left of Salona city baths
To the left of the thermae is the arch bridge, or as it is called, the “Bridge of Five Arches”
Five arch bridge
It is impossible to pass by, as the arches are noticeable from the first glance. Only 3 spans are visible at a glance. The two side sections are dug into the ground, but their outlines are quite visible.
Near the bridge was found a large area with Roman mosaics dating from the 2nd-3rd centuries AD. One depicted Orpheus and the other the sea god Triton.
Today they are preserved in the Archaeological Museum of Split. Considering that the mosaics were of excellent quality, archaeologists believe that the palace of the Governor of Dalmatia was located here. But we apparently did not get to these mosaics, so I leave this fact for you to verify.
The ruins of the bridge of five arches in Salona
Caesar's Gate
To the right of the bridge, 100 meters away, is the main gate of Salona – Caesar’s Gate.
It was built during the reign of Emperor Augustine, at the beginning of the first century AD. On both sides of the gate there were high fortification towers, and between them there were 3 entrances: the side ones were for pedestrians, and the central one – for carts and horsemen.
To supply water to the southern district of the city, part of the gate was used as an aqueduct. Its remains can still be seen today.
After leaving the gate, we walked along a narrow road sprinkled with white gravel. The realization that Julius Caesar himself may have walked on this very road is exciting.
The main gate of the Salona is “Caesar’s Gate”
Church of the Five Martyrs (Kapljuč)
After following the road straight ahead for about 300 meters, we see burial grounds on the right, and after them the ruins of Kapljuč.
The Kapljuč Christian Church is named after a nearby stream, but the story of its creation is much more interesting. According to legend, it was built on the burial place of 5 martyrs who died for their faith.
One of them was a priest and the rest were soldiers of the imperial guard. Diocletian, during his reign, brutally persecuted Christians, and brutally massacred them in front of spectators, right in the arena of the city amphitheater.
The martyrs were buried outside the city walls, as pagans at that time had no place in the glorious city of Salona.
Very well preserved ruins of the Church of the Five Martyrs
Amphitheater
We walk another 200 meters straight ahead and there it is – the most beautiful heritage of the city of Salona.
One of the best preserved structures of the ancient city of Salona is the amphitheater. Archaeologists claim that it was built by Roman architects in the second half of the II century AD. Only the lower part of the walls of the amphitheater survived to our days, and originally it looked like this.
It is believed that the amphitheater could accommodate about 15,000 spectators. In order to provide an unobstructed entrance and exit for such a large number of people, a double system of communications was developed: radial and circular.
This system is still often used today in large sports stadiums: the stands have the form of a circular amphitheater, the entrance was carried out through hatches, and for greater capacity used a profile concave line of stands.
In the XV-XVI centuries, during the Venetian rule, the amphitheater structure was deliberately destroyed so that the Turkish invaders would not use it as fortifications. After that, the amphitheater turned into a large quarry, from where the inhabitants of the surrounding lands took stone to build houses.
It’s time to go back to the last object – the city theater.
Ruins of an ancient amphitheater in Solina
City Theater Salona
Big cities of the Roman Empire times, apart from state administrative buildings, had a theater, which determined the cultural level of the city.
The Salona Theater is located in the southern part of the old town, and today it can be seen from the highway to Trogir. Almost all of its elements are quite well preserved, although it was built in the middle of the first century A.D. And we can easily guess where was the stage and where was the auditorium.
This time we did not see all the ruins. For example, we never reached the town cemetery and the monastery. There was not a soul in modern Solina, so there was no one to ask for directions. But now I am motivated to return!
Remains of the Salona City Theater