The Sphinx from the Diocletian's Palace

The only relatively preserved sculptures of the Diocletian’s palace are the sphinxes. A great amount of Egyptian timber came into the Palace probably as a result of Diocletian's fascination with Egyptian heritage and its symbolism. To this day, only twelve sphinxes are recovered and the opinion is that there was a lot more of them in the Palace. The Sphinx from the Peristyle is the best preserved – it is the only one that has head and body, although it suffered a number of damages over the centuries.

This sphinx in the Split City Museum is