On 11 August AD 117, news of Trajan’s death in Selinus reached Hadrian, who was 41 years old and serving as the provincial governor in Syrian Antioch. The Syrian army immediately proclaimed its legate as Imperator. From that day forward, August 11 would be celebrated as Hadrian’s dies imperii, marking the anniversary of his accession as emperor.
On the third day before the Ides of August he [Hadrian] received the news of Trajan’s death, and this day he appointed as the anniversary of his accession. HA Hadr. 4.7
During the previous night, Dio recounted that Hadrian dreamt he was touched by a fire from heaven but remained unharmed. Hadrian took prophecies and omens seriously, linking them to his rise to power.
He [Hadrian] had dreamed before the day in question that a fire descended out of heaven, the day being perfectly clear and bright, and fell first upon the left side of his throat, passing then to the right side, though it neither frightened nor injured him. Dio Cassius, 68, 2
Upon becoming emperor, Hadrian encountered significant challenges before being fully accepted as the ruler of the Roman Empire. In addition to the rumours stemming from the unclear circumstances of his rise to power, the new emperor also had to address instability in the eastern regions of the empire.
At the time of Trajan’s death, the Roman Empire was at its peak, having expanded to include Armenia and Mesopotamia as new provinces. However, Hadrian recognised the difficulties caused by the annexation of Mesopotamia and chose not to continue the policies of his adoptive father. Ultimately, Trajan’s military campaigns in the East failed, and the costs involved severely strained public finances. Within a few days of assuming power, Hadrian made the decision to withdraw troops from the provinces that Trajan had newly acquired beyond the Euphrates River, returning Mesopotamia and Armenia to their client kings. Meanwhile, the last remnants of resistance from the Kitos War (the Jewish uprisings in Cyrenaica, Cyprus and Egypt –tumultu Iudaico- that broke out in AD 115) had to be quelled.
By Tataryn – CC BY-SA 3.0 (link)
After becoming emperor, Hadrian took several urgent actions. According to the Historia Augusta, he dismissed Trajan’s favoured Moorish general, Lusius Quietus, from his position as governor of Judaea because “he had fallen under the suspicion of having designs on the throne“. By removing him from authority, the new emperor probably thought he was securing his own position, but this action eventually led to civil unrest in the province of Mauretania (modern-day Morocco). Other potential opponents were eliminated: Quintus Baebius Macer, the prefect of the city, was removed in case he opposed the new ruler’s rise to power. Marcius Laberius Maximus, who was in exile on an island and under suspicion of having ambitions for the throne, was also eliminated, as was Marcus Licinius Crassus Frugi. Additionally, Hadrian appointed Catilius Severus, a close friend of Pliny the Younger, as his successor as governor of Syria. These numerous removals and replacements of high-ranking officials later incited anger among the generals most loyal to Trajan, four of whom may have begun to conspire against the new Emperor.
Finally, a double donative was paid to the soldiers to ensure their loyalty.
He gave a double donative to the soldiers in order to ensure a favourable beginning to his principate HA Hadr. 5.7
It was only after taking these measures that Hadrian set out from Antioch to view the remains of Trajan, who had died three days earlier on 8th August (read related post here). The news of the events unfolding in the east was conveyed to Rome by letters. It would take a few more weeks for the report of Trajan’s death and Hadrian’s acclamation in Antioch to reach the Senate in Rome.
The reverse type of Oriens may refer to the new emperor who had arisen in the East or was viewed as a celebration of the end of the Jewish rebellion that had ravaged the eastern provinces.
© Trustees of the British Museum
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Hadrian had served as governor (legatus Augusti pro praetore) of Syria in Antioch (Antiochia ad Orontem), succeeding Julius Quadratus Bassus, who had assumed the position since the start of Trajan’s Parthian expedition. He was also appointed as consul ordinarus for the year 118.
He [Hadrian] enjoyed, too, the favour of Plotina, and it was due to her interest in him that later, at the time of the campaign against Parthia, he was appointed the legate of the Emperor. HA Hadr. 4.1
Antioch was the seat of the Roman governors in Syria, one of the largest, most populated and most economically important provinces of the empire. Hadrian commanded the eastern army, known to be the greatest concentration of Roman legions ever assembled. During the height of the imperial period, Antioch had access to four full legions, along with a detachment of the fleet stationed at Seleucia Pieria.
Antioch was founded in 300 BC by Seleucus Nicator, a general of Alexander the Great, on a site chosen due to a prophetic sign. While completing a sacrifice to Zeus on Mount Casius, an eagle appeared from the sky, grabbed a piece of the sacrificial meat, and dropped it at the location that would later become Antioch. This event, which took place on the 22nd day of Artemisius (the month of May) during the first hour of the day, was recorded by the 6th-century AD chronicler John Malalas, who was a native of Antioch.
Referring to the foundation of the city, a tetradrachm of Hadrian minted in Antioch features an eagle on the obverse holding a sacrificial animal in its talons.
Coin from my own collection.
The only remnant of the Hellenistic city is a monumental rock carving known to 6th-century AD locals as the Charonion. This limestone bust, carved into the mountainside of Mount Starius, gazes out over the city that was under the rule of Antiochus IV (175–163 BC). Standing over 4.5 meters high, the bust is draped in a veil, and a smaller, badly weathered figure can be seen on Charonion’s right shoulder. According to Malalas, the Charonion was created in an attempt to ward off a plague that was affecting Antioch. After many people had perished from the illness, a seer named Leios commanded that a large “mask” be carved out of the mountain overlooking the city, “and inscribing something on it, he put an end to the pestilential death. This mask, the people of Antioch call the Charonion.” However, a recent analysis of the monument’s iconography suggests that the bust likely depicts the Anatolian mother goddess Cybele, with Tyche, the patron deity of Antioch, perched on her shoulder, rather than Charon.
The city of Antioch was situated between the Orontes River and the slopes of Mount Silpius. For nearly a thousand years, it played a crucial role in the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine Empires, acting as a vital link between the East and West. Antioch was the third-largest city in the Empire, following Rome and Alexandria, with a population of approximately half a million people. As a result, it was often referred to as the “Queen of the East” (Orientis Opicum Pulcrum).
The Roman soldier and historian Ammianus Marcellinus, who lived in the 4th century AD in Antioch, stated that “…no city in the world can out-compete this city about the fertility of his lands and also the richness in trade” and called the city the “fair crown of the Orient”. Many Roman emperors, including Augustus, Tiberius, Vespasian, Trajan, Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius, Caracalla, and Diocletian, visited and honoured the city. During these visits, the city walls were repaired, new roads were constructed, and structures such as the theatre, hippodrome, and various temples were built in honour of the emperors. At the heart of the city was a three-kilometre-long collonaded street (today known as Kurtulus Caddesi), featuring porticoes and over 3,200 columns.
Antioch’s history was marked by a series of catastrophes, particularly earthquakes that have caused significant damage and destruction to the city. Efforts to repair and rebuild Antioch often received support from the current emperors of Rome or Byzantium. One of the most devastating earthquakes occurred in the year 115, nearly claiming the lives of Trajan and Hadrian, who were wintering in the city during the conquest of Mesopotamia (read more here). Soon after the earthquake, Trajan started to restore the city. The six-kilometre-long aqueduct connecting Daphne’s springs to Antioch suffered severe damage, prompting Trajan to either construct a new aqueduct or repair an existing one he had previously built. However, as Trajan did not live to complete the project, Hadrian ultimately finished the work on the aqueduct.
According to Malalas, Trajan commemorated the rebuilding of Antioch by erecting a gilded copy of the Tyche of Eutychides in the theatre. Tyche was the patron deity of Antioch, representing prosperity and bringing hope and good fortune to its citizens. The most famous sculpture of Tyche is a bronze statue created by the Greek sculptor Eutychides, a student of Lysippos, in the early 3rd century BC. The best-preserved version of this statue is located in the Vatican Museum. The marble statue depicts the goddess crowned with towers and seated on a rock that symbolises Mount Silpius, with her feet resting on the river Orontes, which is represented as a swimming youth.
Galleria dei Candelabri, Vatican Museums, Rome.
Unfortunately, very little of Antioch has survived to this day. The most impressive remains of the ancient city are the ruins of a massive Roman temple, which consists today of the cella and the rubble core podium made of opus caementicium (Roman concrete), still standing at a height of 5 metres. The high podium measures 110 meters in length and 75 meters in width, while the outer cella wall is 79 meters long and 48 meters wide. Some architectural elements have been discovered, including a shaft fragment of a grey granite column and two fragments of porphyry granite columns. The monumental size of the podium is quite unique, with its closest parallel being the “Donuktaş” (Turkish for “frozen stones”) temple in Tarsus. This temple dates back to the late Antonine period and was dedicated to the Roman Emperor Commodus (AD 177-192).
Antioch on the Orontes is the city where the term “Christianity” was used for the very first time. The Church of Saint Peter, situated approximately 3 kilometres northeast of the city on the slopes of Mount Staurin (which is a continuation of Mount Silpius), is one of the oldest known church buildings in the Christian world.
Most of the other ruins of Antioch are buried beneath the modern Turkish city of Antakya. Although earthquakes destroyed nearly all the buildings of the ancient city, they uncovered a remarkable collection of mosaics dating from the 2nd to the 6th century AD. These mosaics were discovered by an international team of scholars in the 1930s. Today, the Antioch mosaics serve as the principal reminders of the glory of the ancient city. Approximately half of the mosaics are housed in the new Hatay Archaeology Museum.
Hatay Archaeology Museum, Antakya.
Hatay Archaeology Museum, Antakya.
Hadrian was to visit Antioch on two more occasions, in AD 123 and again in 129/30. During these visits, he undertook several building projects related to the city’s water supply. John Malalas, in his account of Hadrian’s public works, noted that the Emperor constructed public baths named after himself and a temple dedicated to the deified Trajan. Malalas also mentioned the creation of a theatron, a theatre-like water reservoir, as well as a Temple of the Nymphs in the suburban area of Daphne, which featured a large statue of Hadrian. Additionally, Hadrian established the Hadrianeia games in Antioch and a Festival of the Springs known as the Hadrianeion.
Sources & references:
- Birley, A.R. (1997). Hadrian The Restless Emperor, London, Roman Imperial Biographies pp. 77-80
- Bennett, J. (1997). Trajan Optimus Princeps. A Life and Times, London – New York.
- Downey, G. (1961). A History of Antioch From Seleucus to the Arab Conquest, Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press (London: Oxford University Press) pp. 218-223
- De Giorgi, A. (2016). Ancient Antioch: From the Seleucid Era to the Islamic Conquest. Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press.
- Chowen, R.H. (1956). The Nature of Hadrian’s Theatron at Daphne. American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 60, No. 3, pp. 275-277
- Cassius Dio 69 (link)
- Historia Augusta, The Life of Hadrian (link)
- Eusebius, The Ecclesiastical History, Book 4 (link)
- The Princeton Encyclopedia of Classical Sites: Antioch on the Orontes
- Podcast: Antioch: A History with Professors Asa Eger, Andrea De Giorgi, and Reyhan Durmaz
Wonderful, evocative account of Hadrian’s accession. I’m always dismayed that his tenure as one of history’s most humane leaders began with the assassinations of four Roman politicians. How much nobler to win respect as Pericles did–through eloquent, inspiring rhetoric and competent, honorable leadership. Hadrian possessed all of that, but obviously other advisers and anxieties ruled the moment. His 21-year reign proved he was the equal of Pericles’ “equanimitas, virtus, ingenium et magnanimitas.”
I studied under Richard from 1974-1979. What a knowledge professor and I am glad I knew him.
Am struggling to complete a factual novel based mainly on Hadrians time in Brittania. Visited Vindolanda and have also made extensive use of my amazing Birley book. Have very little info on his departure with Antinus though. Have conjectured they may have gone to Egypt Where A drowned in the Nile) via a spell in Hadrians Hellenistic retreat. Would appreciate any factual info on this short period please.