Reconsideration of the So-Called “Diana’s Temple” in Ancient Doclea

Abstract

The paper represents the first attempt of interpretation and contextualization of Diana’s sanctuary in late antique Doclea, through re-examination of its particular architectural features, which have been documented by archaeologists through the past 131 years. We offer an integral picture of the temple and its temenos, thus once again confirming that the sanctuary was actually a part of large-scale imperial interventions into the urban fabric of the town — those of Emperor Gaius Aurelius Valerius Diocletianus. We substantiate the hypothesis that the temple was a creation of distinctive, highly innovative and original, Diocletian’s “architectural school” of planners, builders and stonemasons.