Amazing Roman Ruins in Salona

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The second day in Split, I have been out of mood since this morning for no reason, I have already seen many historical places in Split on first day of arrival and Had a walk along the roads Matejuska and Riva. Today, Split is so crowded by a lot of tourists who just arrived from a couple of cruise-liners. On top of that, it is a hot day in Split.

There is local bus heading to the direction of former Roman city in Salone. We thought that it might be a better choice to spend the day, far from the crowd at least.

Salona also known as Salonae was once the capital of the Roman empire in Dalmatia. Under the Romans, Salona was named as the political centre of the Dalmatia region, reaching its peak under Emperor Diocletian who built his palace in Split. Huns and Goths swept down in the middle of the 5th century announcing the end of Roman rule.

Salona wound up in the Eastern Roman Empire but in 614 the Slavs and Avars moved in and levelled the town to the ground.

After the fall of the empire, people of Salona fled to nearby Split and the area around Diocletian's palace. What was left of Salona today, abandoned to decay (or be destroyed by Slavs, Avars and Venetians).

The ruins are relatively unvisited and it was a perfect day to calmly commune with the spirits of centuries past. I was impressed to see the majestic size of 2nd century amphitheatre, which was destroyed by the Venetians in the 17th century.

Apparently, one time it could accommodate over 18,000 spectators and who knows how many gladiators were killed by lions or how many lions were killed by heroic gladiators?

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Photos

Manastirine - a burial place - Salone - Split
This burial place was dedicated for early Christians martyrs, probably torn apart by lions, I guess.