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Images in the HEIR Project digital image archive range from to pictures taken by archaeologists, historians, classical scholars, or academics of other disciplines on their holidays. Their interests shape their choice of destination, taking them to less familiar locations with plans to see particular sites, museums, or excavations.
In this case, we do not know if the men on the steps were the photographer’s travelling companions, or just people used to provide a sense of scale for the building. What we do know is that they are in the picture intentionally, as they held still for the lengthy duration of the exposure, unlike the blurred workman at the trestle table in front of the right doorway to the palace (visible lower right) who kept moving.
Split, Croatia, was generally known by the Italian name of Spalato until the First World War, after which the Croatian preferred name of Split or Spljet became the norm outside Italy. This helps us to assign the otherwise undated picture to the years before the war, as reflected in the hand-lettered caption in the lower right of the picture. The city is home to the ruins of the 4th-century AD retirement palace built by the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Retiring to his native Dalmatia due to poor health after 20 years as emperor, Diocletian planned to live his remaining years in imperial style. The palace complex included a temple to Jupiter, which served as his mausoleum, and later became the Cathedral of St Domnius. The cathedral’s presence is suggested by the name ‘Piazza del Duomo’ (Cathedral Square) in the written caption.
In this image, a large sign hangs above the central doorway, the first line of which, ‘Francisco Primo’, refers to Francis II and I, both Holy Roman Emperor and Emperor of Austria. The Treaty of Campo Formio in 1797 added Venice and Dalmatia to his domain. Francis is now perhaps most remembered as the last Holy Roman Emperor. He held this title from 1792 to 1806, when the Battle of Austerlitz led to the dissolution of what was left of that empire. In 1804, perhaps with an eye towards his future, he had assumed a second title as Francis I, Emperor of Austria, with Napoleon’s agreement for him doing so. He used this title until his death in 1835.
Many later additions to the Roman palace, such as the balustrades and some of the medieval houses built inside it, have since been removed and so are absent in modern images. The presentation of much of this UNESCO World Heritage Site now emphasises the Roman architecture. Issues around preservation, conservation, and modern use of the site are still being debated in Split, questions which are equally relevant to many other listed sites.
Further information: There are 35 images of Spalato in HEIR, the Historic Environment Image Archive, online at http://heir.arch.ox.ac.uk.
