Hidden Passageway Rediscovered at Diocletian's Palace

Archaeology Magazine ^ | June 25, 2025 | editors / unattributed

[SunkenCiv]

Archaeologists searching for a lost tower at the site of Diocletian's Palace in Split were unable to locate the ancient structure, but they did find a secret tunnel that had been hidden for 500 years, according to Croatia Week. The Roman emperor Diocletian built his massive estate in the third century a.d. as a retirement retreat and today it lies at the heart of Croatia's second largest city. Almost every inch of the fortress is known to archaeologists, so they were surprised to find the hidden passageway, which was located in the eastern rampart of the palace wall. It would have once connected the building's famous cellars with a staircase leading to the upper floors and the emperor's private quarters. "It is completely dark on the other side of these walls today, but in the time of the emperor, this space was bustling with activity," said Vesna Bulić Baketić, Director of the City Museum of Split. It is believed that the passage was blocked and forgotten hundreds of years ago when the palace's defensive walls were reinforced to guard against Ottoman incursions. To read about the Roman emperor Nero's sprawling pleasure palace, go to "Golden House of an Emperor."

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TOPICS: History; Science; Travel
KEYWORDS: croatia; diocletian; godsgravesglyphs; romanempire

[SunkenCiv]

Aerial view of Diocletian's Palace in Split, Croatia

Wikimedia Commons

[SunkenCiv]

He had it built in case he needed to Split.

[Magnum44]

He had it built in case he needed to Split.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks, I was far too modest to give myself one of those. 😊

[Dr. Franklin]

He had it built in case he needed to Split.

He grew bananas at his palace and thus invented the Banana Split!

[Billthedrill]

That’s where Split ends.

[rfreedom4u]

Now I have another reason to go back to Split! It’s a beautiful city!