EXHIBITION ON DIOCLETIAN AQUEDUCT OPENS IN SPLIT

SPLIT, May 6 (Hina) - An exhibition on the Diocletian Aqueduct was staged in Split on Thursday. It presents documents on properties and the historical destiny of the 1700-year-old valuable cultural monument. The aqueduct provided water supplies for the Diocletian Palace, and at the moment it must be reconstructed since the Solin-Klis road will intersect it. This conduit, built in the third century just as when the Palace of Roman Emperor Diocletian had been also constructed, brought water from the source of the Jadro brook near the nowadays town of Solin, ten kilometres away from the palace. Experts have established that the capacity of the aqueduct during Diocletian's reign may have been supplies for 173,000 people. In history, it served also as a road. The aqueduct was partly destroyed or walled, and in the last century it was reconstructed to a certain extent. Although the Split aqueduct is one of many water conduit bridges from the Roman times, it is unique as still serves its original purpose and provides water supplies to this southern Croatian seatown. The exhibition has been prepared by the Split-based Conservation Branch of the administration for the protection of the cultural heritage within the Croatian Culture Ministry. (hina) ms