THREE-DIMENSIONAL METROLOGICAL DECODING OF DIOCLETIAN'S PALACE THROUGH THE "SACRED CUBIT" (SL) ETALON: IMPERIAL RASTER OF SPLIT

Abstract

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive three-dimensional archaeometric decoding of Diocletian's Palace in Split (Late Antiquity, late 3rd to early 4th century CE). Drawing upon millimeter-precise architectural surveys and historical documentation, this study demonstrates that the colossal imperial complex was not designed according to Roman feet (pes), but rather on the basis of a pre-Roman, planetary standard — the Sacred Cubit (). Through an analysis of the outer macro-ramparts, the internal Peristyle, and the depth and thickness profiles of the load-bearing walls (the third dimension), the research proves the existence of a strict fractal matrix. The observed eccentric trapezoidal plan of the palace is decoded as a deliberate geometric projection of the internal module of the Mausoleum. The model's robustness is statistically verified by an exceptionally low cumulative error () and a stochastic Monte Carlo simulation ().