The beautiful Dalmatia if famous for its amazing nature with breathtaking beaches and fragrant flora, for its red wine, dogs Dalmatians, attractive people and maybe above all its stunning architecture. These beautiful buildings are heritage of Roman rule in Dalmatia.
Basics:
The History of Dalmatia concerns the history of the eastern coast of the Adriatic Sea and its inland regions, stretching from the 2nd century BC up to the present.
The first mention of Dalmatia as a province is through its foundation in the Roman Empire. Dalmatia is ravaged by barbaric tribes beginning in the 4th century. The Slavs settle the area in the 6th century, the semi-mythological White Croats and White Serbs divided Dalmatia in two in the 7th century, the Croats ruling north of the Neretva river while the Serbs ruling the south.
The Republic of Venice had the maritime lands several times in history, also, Dubrovnik has a rich history as being the seat of the Republic of Ragusa.
The Roman Empire began its occupation of Illyria in the year 168 B.C., forming the Roman province of Illyricum. In 156 B.C.the Dalmatians were for the first time attacked by a Roman army and compelled to pay tribute. In AD 10, during the reign of Augustus, Illyricum was split into Pannonia in the north and Dalmatia in the south, after the last of many formidable revolts known as the Great Illyrian Revolt had been crushed by Tiberius in AD 9. This event was followed by total submission and a ready acceptance of the Latin civilization which overspread Illyria.
The province of Dalmatia spread inland to cover all of the Dinaric Alps and most of the eastern Adriatic coast. Its capital was in the city of Salona (Solin). Emperor Diocletian made Dalmatia famous by building a palace for himself a few kilometers south of Salona, in Aspalathos/Spalatum.
Roman Dalmatia was fully Latinized by 476 AD when the Western Roman Empire disappeared, according to scholar Theodor Mommsen in his book “The Provinces of the Roman Empire”. [1]
The history of Dalmatia began when the tribe from which the country derives its name declared itself independent of Gentius, the Illyrian king, and established a republic. Its capital was Delminium (current name Tomislavgrad); its territory stretched northwards from the river Neretva to the river Cetina, and later to the Krka, where it met the confines of Liburnia.
The Roman Empire began its occupation of Illyria in the year 168 B.C., forming the Roman province of Illyricum. In 156 B.C. the Dalmatians were for the first time attacked by a Roman army and compelled to pay tribute. In AD 10, during the reign of Augustus, Illyricum was split into Pannonia in the north and Dalmatia in the south, after the last of many formidable revolts had been crushed by Tiberius in AD 9. This event was followed by total submission and a ready acceptance of the Latin civilization which overspread Illyria.[2]
The Stadtholder of Dalmatia has inaugurated the excavations of an old Roman city, Aperia, in the district of Zara, and was shown the colossal walls of the ancient city. Dalmatia is about the only district where Roman coins, gems, and cameos are still found in large quantities. The peasants dig them up while plowing and sell them to tourists and the officers garrisoned in those parts.[3]
There are 205 registered sites of Roman villae rusticae on the shores of the province of Dalmatia, but no particular attention was dedicated to their mutual ties due to insufficient research. The earliest construction of villae rusticae on the eastern Adriatic coast dates back to the early Imperial period in the first century AD. The following building techniques have been registered at Roman villa rustica sites: opus spicatum, opus isodomum, opus pseudoisodomum, opus caementicium, opus incertum, opus reticulatum, opus tesselatum, opus vermiculatum, opus sectile, and opus signinum. Sites containing archeological remains representing these different building techniques are examined based on the existing literature. The mosaic technique (opus musivum) was used to decorate the surfaces of floors, walls and vaults. This technique, similar to painting, is accomplished by setting multi-colored small stone tiles, glazed ceramic or glass on a mortar base. There are two different mosaic techniques, opus tesselatum and opus vermiculatum. Revolutionary changes in civil engineering occurred with the arrival of the Romans to the eastern Adriatic coast. Construction with local materials commenced, but employing techniques not previously known to the indigenous population. The use of mortar is one of the most important innovations brought by the civilization of Classical Antiquity. It was the foundation of all buildings and it was the basic substance of structures called opus caementicium (cementum – cut stone). Mortar consisted of sand and lime in an appropriate ratio mixed with larger or smaller gravel. Modern research into archaeological sites should draw more attention to building techniques and to the types and origins of materials used to construct specific structures.[4]
Romans left many monumental examples of architecture and monuments in Dalmatia. Being of great beauty they are studied in arts schools and present great touristic attractions nowadays.
Roman provincial architecture is best preserved on monumental buildings in coastal towns in Dalmatia and Istria. Buildings of public character, such as city gates, arches, temples, theatres and porticos are predefined by canonic elements of Roman orders with classical proportional relations and ornament repertoire. The best stone-cutters and construction workers of the Empire worked on monumental buildings in the main town of the province, Salona, as well as in the Emperor’s palace in Split, the two biggest centers of power in this part of the Mediterranean.
The cause for this discussion is the finding of a Roman wreath with a motif of lesbian kymation, in Bol on the island of Brač. Several parts of a monumental Roman wreath decorated with alterative prongs and lesbian kymation with a string of small arcades separated with lilies, within which the following is inscribed: a palmette, double lily, rosette, lily and a small leaf, found inside a cistern.
In this article, the author analyses various examples of architectural sculpture on monumental Roman monuments in Dalmatia, especially on examples from Bol and Diocletian’s palace in Split. The author follows structural changes of lesbian kymation (cymatium Lesbium) through the transformation of Late Roman plastics into decorativeness. Diocletian’s palace in Split is one of the richest sources for studying the late-imperial decorative repertoire, iconographic innovations and changes in ornament placement. This note about Roman kymation on Dalmatian monuments in various centers of the province was made as an incentive to researchers for collecting similar materials which would form the core of the antique architectural plastics.[5]
One of maybe the best known architectural piece in Dalmatia is certainly the beauty of Diocletian’s Palace.
Diocletian’s Palace (Croatian: Dioklecijanova palača, pronounced [diɔklɛt͡sijǎːnɔʋa pǎlat͡ʃa]) is a building in Split, Croatia, that was built by the Roman emperor Diocletian at the turn of the fourth century AD.
Diocletian built the massive palace in preparation for his retirement on 1 May 305 AD. It lies in a bay on the south side of a short peninsula running out from the Dalmatian coast, four miles from Salona, the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia. The terrain slopes gently seaward and is typical karst, consisting of low limestone ridges running east to west with marl in the clefts between them. [6]
Conclusion:
Dalmatia is definitely a place which will leave its visitors breathless! With its amazing culture and a very rich history in which the biggest trace was left by Romans, this is a place to be seen and never forgotten (see http://www.discovercroatia.com.au/ for travelling options).
References:
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Dalmatia
[2] http://www.illyrians.org/dalmatia.html
[3] http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=FB0D16FC3C5D17738DDDA90A94DE405B8784F0D3
[4] A contribution to the study of building techniques and structures at Roman Villae Rusticae on the coast of the Roman province of Dalmatia by: A. Kilić-Matić
[5] Kymation Variants on the Roman Architecture of Dalmatia by: Vanja Kovačić
[6] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diocletian’s_Palace
