Porta Aurea van het Paleis van Diocletianus te Split before 1878

This photograph of the Porta Aurea at Diocletian's Palace in Split was created by Franz Thiard de Laforest in the late 19th or early 20th century. De Laforest was part of a wave of artists who documented historical sites, framing them through the lens of emerging national identities. This image exists within the context of imperial legacies and their impact on contemporary identity, inviting reflections on power, memory, and representation. The Porta Aurea, once a symbol of Roman authority, stands as a reminder of the ebb and flow of empires and the cultural palimpsest they leave behind. Consider the power dynamics inherent in the act of photographing historical sites. Who gets to tell the story of the past? Whose voices are amplified, and whose are silenced? By engaging with this image, we are invited to reflect on the ways in which history shapes our present.