Autumn AD 122 – Hadrian returns to Gaul and commemorates his horse and Plotina (#Hadrian1900)

In late AD 122, Hadrian departed from Britain and sailed towards Gaul. He travelled southwards to Nemausus (Nîmes) in Narbonensis, then crossed the Pyrenees and arrived in Spain. His journey would have followed the Via Agrippa from Bononia (Boulogne) on the North Sea to Lugdunum (Lyon), then down the Rhone valley, and finally along the Via Domitia to Narbo Martius (Narbonne) and towards the Pyrenees.

While he was in Gaul, Hadrian was informed about riots in Alexandria concerning the bull Apis. He also experienced two personal tragedies. The first occurred near Apta Julia when his beloved hunting horse, Borysthenes, suddenly died. The second tragedy was the death of Plotina, Trajan’s widow and Hadrian’s adoptive mother (perhaps in early 123).

“After arranging matters in Britain he crossed over to Gaul, for he was rendered anxious by the news of a riot in Alexandria, which arose on account of Apis;​ for Apis had been discovered again after an interval of many years, and was causing great dissension among the communities, each one earnestly asserting its claim as the place best fitted to be the seat of his worship. During this same time, he reared a basilica of marvellous workman­ship at Nîmes in honour of Plotina.​ After this, he travelled to Spain​ and spent the winter at Tarragona.” HA Hadr. 12.1-3

The Historia Augusta suggests that Hadrian left Britain for Gaul because of a dispatch he received from Governor Haterius Nepos in Egypt, urging an imperial visit. However, this report may be out of chronological sequence. The uprising probably occurred soon after Hadrian’s accession and was quelled by a vigorous letter (Dio 69.8-1a). The sacred bull had traditionally been kept in the temple of Ptah at Memphis; therefore, it is unclear whether the Egyptians of Alexandria sought to replace Memphis and have Apis housed in their great Serapeum. Whatever the reason for the incident, the discovery of a new Apis bull was celebrated on coins minted in Alexandria AD 117/8 (RPC III, 5037).

“The Alexandrians had been rioting, and nothing would make them stop until they received a letter from Hadrian rebuking them. So true is it that an emperor’s word will have more force than arms.” Dio 69.8-1a

During his time in Narbonese Gaul, Hadrian and his considerable retinue required luxurious accommodation. The cities of Vienna (Vienne), Arelate (Arles), Vasio Vocontiorum (Vaison), Nemausus (Nimes) and Narbo Martius would have been suitable options. Two statues were found in the theatre of Vasio: one of Hadrian and one of his wife, Sabina, believed to be associated with his visit. An inscription (now lost) discovered in Apt in 1786 (CIL XII 1120) mentioned the Colonia Iulia Hadriana Avenniensis. This suggests that Hadrian established Avennio (Avignon) as a Roman colony, possibly during his tour.

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In the forests surrounding Apta Julia in Luberon, the favourite hunting horse of Hadrian died during a hunt. The horse, named after the Scythian river Borysthenes (today’s Dnieper River), was given to Hadrian by Rasparaganus, the king of the Roxolani, in AD 118 in Moesia Inferior (see here). Hadrian was very fond of this well-bred horse and used it as his favoured hunting mount. In honour of Borysthenes, Hadrian built an elaborate funerary monument and composed a poem of praise for the horse, much like how Alexander the Great founded a city in India in honour of his horse, Bucephalus.

“Some light is thrown upon his passion for hunting by what he did for his steed Borysthenes, which was his favourite horse for the chase; when the animal died, he prepared a tomb for him, set up a slab and placed an inscription upon it.” Dio, 69, 10.2

“His horses and dogs he loved so much that he provided burial-places for them.” HA Hadr. 20.12

Two broken marble fragments with an epigraph were found near Apt in the 17th and 18th centuries. The inscriptions were transcribed by contemporaries and attributed to a tomb possibly erected by Hadrian after his horse, Borysthenes, died. Unfortunately, the marble inscription (CIL XII 1122) has almost entirely disappeared. Only one small fragment remains, which contains the last line of the Borysthenes’ epigraph: [h]oc situs est in agro (“buried here in the field”).

The epigraph of Borysthenes, as translated from Latin to English by David Camden, reads:

Borysthenes Alanus, the swift horse of Caesar, [who] through the sea and the marshes and the Etruscan mounds who was accustomed to fly, while pursuing Pannonian boars, him to harm with his white tooth not one boar dared: the saliva from his mouth scattered even the meanest tail, as it is custom to happen. But in his youth, his healthy, invulnerable body, killed on its day, has been buried here in the field.

The Gallo-Roman town of Apta Julia, a colonia since the time of Caesar, was situated on the Via Domitia, a route connecting Rome to Spain. It reached its greatest prosperity in the 2nd century AD, when its population reached up to 10,000. The city had a forum, a triumphal arch, a Capitolium, temples, thermal baths, and a theatre. The remains of the Roman city now lie beneath the modern town. The theatre was discovered in the 1960s in the cellars of the Archaeological Museum. Above the cavea, there are traces of late Roman houses, indicating that the theatre was already out of use by the 4th and 5th centuries AD. The surrounding woodlands and forests, which stretch into the foothills of the Alps, provided excellent hunting grounds. Apta Julia yielded many dedications to the god of hunters, Silvanus (AE 1990, 0706, AE 1998, 0893, AE 1955, 0112).

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It is possible that Hadrian visited Nemausus, the birthplace of Antoninus Pius. Pompeia Plotina, who was the wife of Trajan and Hadrian’s adoptive mother, was also likely from Nemausus. This Roman colony was located on the strategic Via Domitia and was wealthy and thoroughly Romanised. Nemausus was originally a Celtic centre named after the deity of a local spring, Nemausus. Augustus expanded and beautified it.

The town covered more than 220 hectares and was surrounded by a six-kilometre-long wall with 90 towers and 10 gates. It was adorned with many beautiful buildings, including the Maison Carrée, a Roman temple dedicated to Augustus’ grandsons, Gaius and Lucius, dating back to the late 1st century BC. The town also had a well-preserved Roman amphitheatre, which is one of the finest examples of its kind in the world. Within the city walls, there was an Augusteum, a temple dedicated to the Imperial cult, along with its associated theatre and possibly a circus. The town’s water supply was sourced 50 miles away through an aqueduct, part of which still stands today as the Pont du Gard. The aqueduct is an impressive sight, towering 47 meters above the Gard River as it crosses on its way to the city.

At some point during his stay in Narbonese Gaul, Hadrian received news of the death of his adoptive mother, Plotina, who was in her late 50s. It is unclear whether he received the news in Nemausus or deliberately chose to honour her native city, but Hadrian had a sumptuous basilica (according to the HA) or a temple (according to Dio) built for the deceased Empress. Dio also reports that Hadrian mourned deeply for her, wearing black for nine days. Plotina was eventually deified, but surely not until Hadrian returned to Rome nearly three years later. At her funeral, Hadrian gave a speech praising her, saying she had never made unreasonable demands on him. He said, “Her requests were of such a character that they neither burdened me nor afforded me any justification for opposing them.”

We have proof of the existence of the basilica itself in a dedication to Jupiter and Nemausus from the supervisor of the works of the basilica (CIL XII 3070). This inscription, found in Nîmes in 1739, reads:

IOVI – E- NEMAVS.
T-FLAVIVS – HERM.
EXACTOR – OPER.
BASILICAE – MAR.
MORARI – ET LAPI.
DARI – V – S.

“Titus Flavius Hermes, inspector of the works of the basilica, and the marble-workers and stonemasons fulfil their vow to Jupiter and Nemausus.”

The basilica no longer exists, but some decorative architectural blocks, such as friezes, pilasters, and capitals, as well as marble fragments from the pediment and frieze of a large building of Corinthian order, may be associated with it.

A bilingual inscription (CIL XII 3232) from the Augusteum provides evidence of a synod of Dionysiac artists (a group of professional theatrical performers) in Nemausus during Hadrian’s reign. The synod assumed the unique title of “the Sacred Thymelic Hadriana Synod of those who compete together for the sake of Imperator Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus, the New Dionysus” (Boatwright, 2000). The inscription confirms that sacred scenic games were held for the Imperial cult in the small theatre next to the Augusteum.

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When Hadrian was ready to move on to Spain, he would have taken the Via Domitia, a Roman road that ran along the Gulf of Lyon. Cnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus constructed this road in 118 BC, making it the first Roman road in Gaul. It met the Via Aquitania at Narbo Martius, which led toward the Atlantic Ocean through Tolosa (Toulouse) and Burdigala (Bordeaux).

Hadrian certainly visited Narbo Martius, located at a key point on this road. Narbo was Rome’s first colony established outside Italy in 118 BC and served as the headquarters of the provincial governor. The city’s significance as a major trading port is confirmed by the geographer Strabo, who called it the ‘greatest emporium’ in southern Gaul, and by Martial, who praised it as “Pulcherrima Narbo” (“most beautiful Narbo”).

At Narbo Martius, the Via Domitia crossed the river Atax and constituted the cardo maximus, leading straight to the town’s forum. Unfortunately, very little of the Roman city remains today. However, thanks to inscriptions and archaeological finds discovered in the 19th century, we have been able to reconstruct a timeline of the city’s monuments. The Forum and the Capitolium were built during the Augustan period and were dedicated in AD 12 when the rules and calendar for the festivities in honour of the Emperor were established (CIL XII, 4333).

The Capitolium was situated to the north of the forum and stood on a podium that was more than 3 metres high. It measured 48 x 36 metres and was constructed in a pseudodipteral style, with eight columns on the front and 11 on the sides. The columns were of the Corinthian order and stood 18 metres high. The Capitolium was constructed from Carrara marble quarried in Carrara, Italy. Its restoration was possibly ordered by Hadrian, as evidenced by a Hadrianic marble inscription dating back to AD 132 (CIL XII 6024). Both the Capitolium and the inscription were made using Carrara marble (Fraser, 2006).

The town centre featured various monuments, including the largest amphitheatre in the province (discovered in 1838 but poorly excavated), public baths, a theatre, and several temples, including one dedicated to Cybele. There were also many beautiful urban villas, as indicated by wall paintings and mosaics. The town covered 100 hectares and had a population of 35,000. Unfortunately, Narbo Martius was badly affected by a disastrous fire around AD 145 that destroyed many public buildings, including the baths, porticoes, and basilicas. Antoninus Pius helped restore these public buildings – Ther[mas incendio] consumptas cum por[ticibus] et (…) basilicas et [omni apparatu] impensa r[estituit] – (CIL XII 4342). The Narbo Via museum, which opened in May 2021, offers visitors a chance to experience what Narbo Martius looked like.

Hadrian elevated one of Narbo‘s leading citizens, Aemilius Arcanus, to the senatorial order (amplissimum ordinem). Arcanus was likely the son of the duumvir Arcanus, who was a friend of the poet Martial. Arcanus served as an equestrian legionary tribune in three successive legions, with the third being in the II Augusta of the army of Britain. Upon his return to Narbo, he pursued a municipal career before receiving the promotion to the senatorial order from Hadrian. It is possible that Hadrian and Arcanus met during Hadrian’s stay in Narbo (or in Britain) and that the promotion was a result of their friendship. After his death, Arcanus was honoured with a statue in Narbo, which was donated by one of his freedmen, the seuir Augustalis Lucius Aemilius Moschus. Moschus also contributed 4,000 sesterces to the treasury of the augustales for the maintenance of Arcanus’ honorary monument (CIL XII 4354).

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After his stay in Narbo, the grieving Emperor continued his journey towards the south on the Via Domitia. He passed through the Pyrenees mountain range via the Summum Pyrenaeum (now known as Col de Panissars), the highest point, and then descended to the plain of the Ebro Valley. From there, Hadrian followed the Via Augusta, which led him to Gerunda (Girona), Barcino (Barcelona), and Tarraco (Tarragona). He was to spend the winter of 122/3 in Tarraco.

Sources and references:

• Birley, Anthony R., (1997). Hadrian. The restless emperor, Routledge London New York pp. 142-150.
• Fraser. Trudie E. (2006). Hadrian as Builder and Benefactor in the Western Provinces. BAR International Series 1484.
• Bonsangue Maria-Luisa. Les élites de Narbonne et les ordres supérieurs de l’Empire (Ier siècle av. J.-C. – IIe siècle ap. J.-C.). In: Revue archéologique de Narbonnaise, tome 49, 2016. pp. 49-63;
• Michel Disdero & Patrick De Michèle (2019) Borysthène & Hadrien (pdf)
• Gascou Jacques, Janon Michel. Les chevaux d’Hadrien. In: Revue archéologique de Narbonnaise, tome 33, 2000. pp. 61-68;
• Manniez Yves, Pellé Richard. Données nouvelles sur l’enceinte du castrum des Arènes de Nîmes. In: Revue archéologique de Narbonnaise, tome 44, 2011. pp. 125-143;

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