The best part of being a tour guide? When experts dig up something new in the city I call home. It gives me another special place to show and another great story to share. I love moments like that. Right now, something big is happening in Split, and I can’t stop smiling. For more than 30 years, Split has backed this dig. Now, it feels like we’re near real answers. Did the Romans use this land for simulated naval battles, called Naumachia, just 10 minutes from the well-known Diocletian’s Palace?
What is Naumachia?
Before hearing about recent digs, I didn’t know the word “naumachia” at all. But while experts work hard to dig up hidden pasts, I love to explore the endless web. When something grabs my attention, I dive in deep—spending hours, days, or even longer—until I feel sure I know enough to share my knowledge.
Here are two questions that I’m asking myself:
What are these staged naval battles called Naumachia that Romans performed?
How did they manage to stage Naumachia in the building structure such as the Colosseum?
To understand Naumachia all you need to do is imagine the thrill of gladiatorial games performed at the Colosseum, but add water and scaled-down ships. This is how Romans brought to life some of their favorite naval battles for tens of thousands of spectators to enjoy. These events combined Roman engineering genius with their love of spectacle.
We already know that Romans were amazing engineers and innovators, but many still speculate if these kinds of games were happening. But the Romans had a knack for solving problems in style. They constructed enormous artificial basins or flooded amphitheaters to create temporary lakes.
Emperor Julius Caesar staged the first Naumachia in 46 BCE by flooding an area in the so-called Campus Martius or Field of Mars, which was a designated area outside of Rome used for battle exercises. Emperor Augustus followed with an even grander display, building a massive basin on the Tiber River that held 30 ships and 3,000 men.
Split might have been another place for such shows of military art.
How did they built Naumachia?
The construction of a Naumachia showcased Roman engineering brilliance and logistical mastery. First, they selected a location – open fields, depressions near rivers, or existing amphitheaters, and excavated large basins reinforced with stone or wood to hold water.
Using their advanced aqueduct systems, they diverted water from nearby rivers or aqueducts through canals, carefully controlling the flow with gates and valves, and drained it back afterwards.
They staged the spectacle with scaled-down replicas of warships, floating platforms, and decorations to match the theme. The basin had grandstands surrounding it to accommodate tens of thousands of spectators.
After the event, the water was drained, debris cleared (together with fighters that didn’t make it alive), and the land was restored if it was a temporary site.
Why did they organize Naumachia?
Naumachia wasn’t just entertainment; it was a power move. Emperors used these spectacles to showcase their wealth, power, and generosity. Imagine the message it sent to the people:
“I can summon the sea and command armies — just for your enjoyment!”
What is happening in Split?
The new archaeological finding is located just beneath Domovinski Rat Street, one of the main streets in Split. The excavation process is still at its beginning, but archaeologists already know that this wasn’t a simple 4th-century food market, as some earlier writings suggested, but that this was an enormous Roman structure, too complex for such a simple use.
The fact that part of the Roman aqueduct runs through it is the main reason why archaeologists think it could be one of these Colosseums used for Naumachia because aqueducts going through a building’s ground floor were not common practice in Roman times.
We still have many other things to consider, of course, but for now, as a tour guide, imagining that these fabulous naval battles were organized in Split makes me very enthusiastic, to say the least.
