What did the palace combine?

A luxury villa and a military fortress

Diocletian's Palace Quiz: Split's Roman Emperor Retreat

This Diocletian's Palace quiz walks through the Roman walls at the heart of Split, Croatia. Play an interactive set of 10 questions on its building around AD 300, Emperor Diocletian's rare abdication, its palace-fortress design, refugees from Salona moving in, the Peristyle, the mausoleum turned cathedral, the cellars, an Egyptian sphinx and Game of Thrones filming.

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🎯 Daily Trivia Challenge • 🧠 10 Questions • ⏱️ 150 Seconds

Question 1 / 10 Time: 150s

City
Which Croatian city grew inside Diocletian's Palace?
Emperor
Who built the palace?
Built
Roughly when was it built?
Retire
What was unusual about Diocletian?
Design
What did the palace combine?
Refugees
Who moved into the palace in the 600s?
Square
What is the Peristyle?
Cathedral
What became of Diocletian's mausoleum?
Sphinx
What ancient object from Egypt stands in the palace?
Show
Which TV series filmed in the palace cellars?

Explanations: answer key for all 10 questions

Q1: Which Croatian city grew inside Diocletian's Palace?
Answer: Split
Its old town lies within the walls.
Q2: Who built the palace?
Answer: Emperor Diocletian
He ruled Rome in the late 200s.
Q3: Roughly when was it built?
Answer: Around AD 300
It was finished by about 305.
Q4: What was unusual about Diocletian?
Answer: He voluntarily stepped down as emperor
He retired to grow cabbages, legend says.
Q5: What did the palace combine?
Answer: A luxury villa and a military fortress
Thick walls and towers guarded it.
Q6: Who moved into the palace in the 600s?
Answer: People fleeing nearby Salona
They built homes inside the walls.
Q7: What is the Peristyle?
Answer: A columned central courtyard
Performances are held there.
Q8: What became of Diocletian's mausoleum?
Answer: It became a cathedral
Ironically, he persecuted Christians.
Q9: What ancient object from Egypt stands in the palace?
Answer: A sphinx
Diocletian brought several.
Q10: Which TV series filmed in the palace cellars?
Answer: Game of Thrones
Daenerys kept dragons there.

A Roman Emperor's Retirement Home Turned City

Diocletian's Palace in Split, Croatia, was built around AD 300 for Emperor Diocletian. Unusually, he voluntarily stepped down as emperor in 305 and retired there; legend says he preferred growing cabbages to returning to power. The palace combined a luxury villa with a fortress, protected by thick walls and towers.

In the 600s, people fleeing the nearby city of Salona moved inside the walls, building homes among the Roman structures. Over centuries the palace became the core of Split, and thousands of people still live within its walls today. It became a UNESCO site in 1979.

The Peristyle, a columned courtyard, is the palace's heart. Diocletian's mausoleum became a cathedral, ironic since he persecuted Christians. An Egyptian sphinx he brought still stands nearby, and the vast cellars appeared in Game of Thrones as the place where Daenerys kept her dragons.

What This Quiz Teaches

History fans will enjoy these questions.

Who built the palace
Why the emperor retired there
How it became a city
Which spaces survive
Which shows filmed there

Did You Know?

The Riva promenade runs along the palace's sea wall.
Split's cathedral bell tower offers sweeping views.
Market stalls fill the cellars.
The Golden Gate was the main northern entrance.
A statue of Gregory of Nin stands outside the walls.