Salona, the present town of Solin, just 10 minutes from Split on the way to the airport, became a Roman colony in 33 BC during Augustus’ reign. In 170AD, Emperor Marcus Aurelius made it the capital of Dalmatia, a glorious city whose population grew to 50,000! It remained important until the early 7thC when the Slavs and other tribes besieged the region,forcing residents to flee to the islands and the safety of Diocletian’s Palace, then under Byzantine rule.