#salona

Temple of Dionysus or Liber

Salona, Dalmatia, Croatia

~1st century CE

The temple of Dionysus or Liber was Tetrastyle Corinthian pronaos temple dedicated to Dionysus/ Liber. The temple consisted of a square cella and a deep vestibule with four massive Corinthian columns.

Walls encircled the town as early as the 2nd century BCE as it was considered an important military center. At the time, the Romans were involved in a series of campaigns to conquer Dalmatia and Salona seesawed several times between local and Roman control.

Sometime between 40 BCE and 33 BCE (the exact date is uncertain) Salona became a Roman colony named Colonia Martia Ivlia Salona. Roman traders and war veterans flocked to the town and under Emperor Augustus it became the capital of the Roman province of Dalmatia.

Throughout the first century CE, Salona developed rapidly. The expanded city was fortified with strong walls and towers, especially on the more vulnerable northern side. In the southeastern side, a Forum was erected and next to it a theatre that held 3500 people. A century later, an amphitheatre was built that held up to 17,000 spectactors. At its height, the population may have reached 60,000 people, making it one of the largest towns in the Roman empire.

It has been 1,000 years- thanks everyone for holding on while I’ve been quiet.

I have been working (mostly) exclusively on my ipad and I’ve been feeling my work get stronger and more fluid.