Split at the Critical Point: Diocletian's Palace, Excavation Vs
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Split at the Critical Point: Diocletian's Palace, Excavation vs. Conservation Author(s): Ivan Zaknic Source: JAE, Vol. 36, No. 3 (Spring, 1983), pp. 20-26 Published by: Blackwell Publishing on behalf of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, Inc. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1424765 Accessed: 20/01/2010 12:24 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=black. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Blackwell Publishing and Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, Inc. are collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to JAE. http://www.jstor.org SPLIT AT THE CRITICAL POINT: DIOCLETIAN'SPALACE, EXCAVATIONVS. CONSERVATION IvanZaknic, a nativeof Croatia,taught at The Since 1968, archeologicalexcavations have Universityof Texas1975-79, CornellUniversity been carriedout jointlyby the TownPlanning 1980-82, and is currentlywith Gwathmey- Instituteof Dalmatiaand the Universityof Siegel in New YorkCity. He is the authorof a Minnesota,under auspices of the Smithsonian book on PompidouCenter (Flammarion, 1983) Institution.Two reports were consequently pub- Voyaged'Orient in OPPOSITIONS,and a re- lishedin 1972 and 1976, describingthe extent viewof Le Corbusier'sSketchbooks (Vol. I) in a of the digs in varioussectors.3 Specialists from recentissue of JAE.The present article grew severalcountries assisted in excavations.Activ- out of a paperdelivered in SantaFe at the ity has been restrictedto a numberof limited ACSAAnnual Meeting, March 1983. sectorssince the Romanpalace constitutes the verycore of a dense city.In some areas, no workwas undertakenuntil the localhousing au- Splittoday Split,a busy porton the Adriaticcoast, is an thoritiessaw fit to condemnand demolish (aerialview) economicand culturalcenter of Dalmatiaand apartmenthouses, thus freeingthe areafor ar- one of the oldestcities in Croatia.This region cheologicalinvestigations. Further digging can was once knownas the landsof Illyria.Split's continuein manyareas only after the demolition historicalcenter is the palaceof the RomanEm- of additionalbuildings. It is commonlyaccepted perorDiocletian, a nativeof Dalmatia,who lived thatthe complexmay neverbe excavatedin its thereafter his retirementuntil his death.The en- entirety,and that the workwill probably continue semblewas surroundedby protectivewalls, for generations. whichgave it the characterof a militaryfortress and historiansare thus facedwith or "castellum"enclosing a luxuriousresidence. Cityplanners a dilemma.The excavationprogram aims at in- The palacehas a long andfascinating history. creasingknowledge of the originalpalace com- Afterthe fallof the RomanEmpire and the dev- plex, but urbanrenewal must clearthe way. astationof the neighboringprovincial capital of Housingto be demolishedis declared"substan- Salonain 614 A.D., manyinhabitants fleeing the dard"and "devoidof historicalinterest," while invaderstook refugebehind the thickwalls of the dense urbanfabric of the veryheart of the Hebrard'sreconstruction Diocletian'sPalace. Imperial apartments were cityis beingslowly eroded. The choiceat this of thepalace (1912) transformedto shelterhomeless refugees. In pointseems to be one betweenurban removal (Source:Hebrard, Spalato) this waythe firstsquatter fixed his residence to servearcheology, and urbanconservation to and became,in the wordsof BernardRudofsky, nourishliving history. Which has the greater "anhonorary trustee and unofficialguardian of a rightto exist, and can they indeedco-exist? The landmark."'For almost fourteen centuries, these views expressedin this articlerepresent neither squatters'rights remained uncontested.2 None of the partnersin the jointproject, but are an of the invaderssince thattime, includingGoths, independenteffort to evaluatecritically the recent Avars,Slavs, Tartars and Turks, succeeded in work,which attempts simultaneously to achieve capturingthe palaceenclave. a dualand irreconcilablegoal: to preservethe place-relatedcontext, and at the same timeto An EarlyMedieval town grewwithin the enclo- destroyparts of it in orderto gain moreknowl- sure, and laterspread beyond the walls. Expan- edge abouta specifichistorical period and its sion continueduntil the twentiethcentury, mak- "vanished"context. ingthe palacearea a trueurban nucleus. After WorldWar II, systematicarchitectural investiga- tionsand restorationactivities began in several Environmentschange, both through slow and areasof the old Romanpalace. naturalprocess and through sudden physical alterations-naturaldisasters, earthquake, war. Transformationsare common,and accepted as a partof evolution.But change in Splitover the lastfew decadesis a case of consciousand plannedintervention. Many issues must be dealt withsimultaneously: growth, renewal, conserva- tion andtransformation. The true challenge fac- ing the cityplanners at the presenttime is to m developa policyrelating these changesto the The EmperorDiocletian was originallyan Illyrian Crteai cherishedimagery held by those whose lives fromthis area.He reignedfrom 284 to 305 Drawing and memoriesare closely tiedto the city.This is A.D., voluntarilyabdicating the throneafter whatKevin Lynch calls "publicimages," or the buildinghis retirementpalace on the Dalmatian "commonmental picture carried by largenum- coast. The buildingof the palacetook 10 to 15 bers of city inhabitants."4 years,and was finishedin 305. Thestructure, in the formof a trapezoidmeasuring 675 x 675 Forcenturies Split has retaineda strongsense x 543 x 525 feet, combineda luxuriousvilla of place,with well-defined edges, nodes, and witha well-fortifiedcastle. Itenclosed an areaof districts.Some of the alterations recentlyper- about9 Englishacres. Fromthe verybeginning 4 'i?''6 1ia formedin the city'sfabric have weakened this this was muchmore than a residencefor the re- even no "imageability," though majorlandmark tiredEmperor. It had beenconceived as a cityin has beentorn down. have - Althoughfragments itself-which in fact it became,after the fallof * * ,li,, * been removedin specificareas, the greaterpart the neighboringprovincial capital of Salonain of the historiccentral district has E-. W. _ up to now the earlySeventh Century. Its rectangularform been The preserved. occasionalloss of housing withprotective perimeter walls, a prototypeused unitsand in environmentare gaps receivedby by the Romansin all theirnewly-conquered ter- the without N w generalpublic resistance,and with- ritories,was basedon the patternof the Roman out the dissentor politicalbattles that we would militarycamp (castrum).This gave the newly- H Prbhtno experiencein this country.Local citizens accept s ApproenmaW foundedpalace an addedadvantage for defense. %b%.-_ ,I---.j',_''- ,~ these as a changes matterof governmentpolicy, The militarycharacter and purposewas of real Tlocrti Diokleciianove becausemore adequate and hygenic /^>^ palade livingquar- benefitto the occupants,even though the corner / izvorni izgted pra Adramu,Niemniu H6brwdu ters forthe displacedare usuallyprovided. But Diocletian's Palace, Plans towerswere builtsquare and contraryto the ad- Originalappearance according to Adam Nimarrn HBrd stillthe remains. puzzle Diocletian'sPalace is a vice of Vrtruvius(whose recommendationwas landmark of the LateRoman period, associated thatthey be roundor polygonal,for "square witha a Threereconstructions of the palace: Adam (1757), Niemann soldier, conquerorand colonizerof towersare soonershattered by militaryen- these provinces.How did the governmentau- (1910),Hebrard (1912) gines"6). (Source:Joint Excavation Project) thoritiesof today'ssocialist Yugoslavia decide thatthe applicationof scientificarcheology and Likeall new towns laidout by Romansin their the restorationof an ancientarchitectural icon conqueredterritories, two mainthoroughfares are moreimportant than the livingencrustations dividedthe palaceinto four quarters. Northern whichfollowed for sixteencenturies? For with- sectionscontained a lodgingcomplex for sol- out destroyingthe majorrecognizable features diersand servants,as wellas warehousesand of the relicfrom which it sprung,the town has supportingauxiliary spaces. Thesouthern part actuallyencompassed its remainsto the mutual was reservedfor the Emperorand his suite. It advantageof both. containedhis residencebuilt over a basement substructure.This part also includedother ritual Inthe historyand growthof Split,continuity has andformal spaces: a peristyle,vestibule and at- been one of its strongestcharacteristics and the riumalong the axis, the Emperor'sMausoleum one most