Diocletianopolis
The Archaeological site of Diocletianopolis
Diocletianopolis is located at a site called nowadays Armenochori, northwestern from the city of Argos Orestiko, approximately 1 kilometer from the Archaeological Museum.
Founder of this significant fortified city, was probably the Roman emperor Docletian (284-305 AD).
A number of copper coins of Maximian (294/305 AD) and Licinius (308-324 AD) help us assume that the walls were built around the late 3rd to early 4th century.
According to the historians, during the 4th century Diocletianopolis was the seat of a bishopric and belonged administratively to Thessaly, whereas according to Hierocles in the Synecdemon it ranked eleventh among the cities of Thessaly.
It is probable that various factors such as the broad and open plain environment, its neighboring with the Aliakmon river, as well as its natural protection by the mountains Pindos, Verno, Vourino, favored the city’s development. The historian Procopius describe Diocletianopolis as a city “which had been prosperous in ancient times, but barbarian invasions (probably Goths) led to its gradual destroy and the Emperor Justinian (527-565) moved the city to a safer location on the quasi-island in the Lake of Kastoria. However, the so far archaeological evidence suggest that Diocletianopolis was not totally abandoned.
Overall, the archaeological site includes the fortifications of the city (total circumference: 2700m), a large part of which have been partially restored, as well as archaeological remains of the buildings dated in the 4th and 5th centuries.
