In the turbulent 4th and 5th centuries, when the Roman Empire was rocked by crises, the situation on the coastal belt of Dalmatia was calm, and Salona, as the provincial capital, experienced the peak of its development. Migrants from different parts of the Empire in search of a better life settled in Dalmatia, especially during the 3rd and 4th centuries, and Salona, far from the Empire’s outer borders at an advantageous geographical location facing the Mediterranean, grew into a major economic and social hub.
The Archaeological Museum’s Late Antiquity Collection encompasses different categories of objects that illustrate the various aspects of life in Dalmatia during that period. Most of its exponents are from Salona and its environs, followed by Split, while a smaller number of finds came from sites in Salona’s hinterland and on the Dalmatian islands. They primarily date from the beginning of the 4th century to the mid-6th century at the latest and they serve as a source of knowledge about the architecture, art, religion, military and daily lives of that era’s people.
Numerous stone monuments, mainly architectural fragments, gravestones and sarcophaguses are exhibited in the Museum’s lapidarium. The Good Shepherd Sarcophagus, dated to the beginning of the 4th century and featuring an allegorical depiction of Jesus Christ in its central field, has a prominent place among the Salonitan monuments due to the quality of its workmanship, monumentality and symbolism. The sarcophagus with a scene of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, which held the relics of St. Felix and was originally located in the St. Francis Monastery in Split, has been dated somewhat later to the latter half of the 4th century. The relief with the personification of the city of Salona (Tyhe Salonitana) that was originally set on the arch of the city gate as a symbol of prosperity dates to the same period. It is an example of the use of pagan motifs in an era when Christianity had taken firm root, but in this context that depiction lost its pagan religious significance and retained only a symbolic character. Church interiors, especially in the 6th century, were equipped with luxurious marble furniture and architectural sculpture, often with cross motifs, Christograms and various decorative elements. The latter include the columns with capitals from the baptistery of the Salonitan cathedral, as well as the altar screens and altar tables from Salonitan churches.
The sphinxes inside Diocletian’s Palace are a unique and recognizable attraction in Split. They were brought there to decorate the Palace in compliance with the wishes of Emperor Diocletian’s, who was a lover of Egypt and Egyptian culture. One of these sphinxes, on display in the Archaeological Museum, formerly belonged to Pharaoh Amenhotep III and was made at around 1400 BC, which can be read on the inscriptions in the cartouches on its bust and pedestal.
The Archaeological Museum’s exhibition hall presents objects used in households and everyday life, or for military and liturgical purposes, for example pottery and glassware and numerous oil-lamps adorned with a variety of motifs in their central fields, mainly Christian symbols and allegorical representations.
Liturgical accessories, such as a censer from the Crkvina/Klapavica near Solin, a silver spoon bearing the inscription ‘Mattheus’, a bone comb with an image of Jesus Christ and Sts. Peter and Paul, or reliquaries, all testify to the rich religious life in the Salonitan area in Late Antiquity. Christian motifs can also be seen on items of everyday use, such as dishes or parts of attire, and on weights, which often have a cross next to the weight designation as a guarantee of their accuracy. Jewellery, fibulae and belt sets from that period were produced in Salona, albeit under the stylistic influences of the Eastern Roman sphere. The finds are characterized by their variety and unconventionality, which were probably a consequence from the intermingling of the different tastes and customs of the Eastern and Western Empires under the strong influence of Germanic tribes.