AD 126 – Hadrian spends the year in Rome and dedicates the Templum Divorum (#Hadrian1900)

The year AD 126 opened under the consulships of Marcus Annius Verus and Gaius Eggius Ambibulus, marking the formal beginning of the civic year in Rome. Over the following months, several changes in office occurred, reflecting the customary rotation of consular appointments and Hadrian’s continued efforts to honour both established figures and loyal supporters within his circle.

Both men were prominent figures within Hadrian’s circle. Marcus Annius Verus, a prominent senator from Baetica in Spain, was a close associate of the emperor and grandfather of the future emperor Marcus Aurelius. His third consulship (106, 121, and 126) was a significant honour and rare distinction, equalling that of Hadrian himself. It reflected the emperor’s favour towards the Annii Veri family, further evidenced by his care for the young Marcus Aurelius, whom he affectionately called “Verissimus”. His colleague, Gaius Eggius Ambibulus, came from Aeclanum in southern Italy (CIL IX, 1123) and likewise benefited from imperial patronage, as Hadrian granted his hometown the status of colonia and supported improvements along the Via Appia between Aeclanum and Beneventum.

Lucius Valerius Propinquus, who had been governor of Gallia Aquitania from 123 to 125 (Birley, 1981), replaced Verus on 1 March and served as his colleague for the remainder of the first nundinium of that year. This dating and replacement are confirmed by evidence from brick stamps bearing the pairing “Propinquus et Ambibulus”. Another pair, Lucius Cuspius Camerinus and Gaius Saenius Severus, are attested on military diplomas as consuls on 1 July (ZPE-194-231). Additional possible consuls for 126 include Sextus Julius Major (possibly legate of Legio III Augusta in 126) and Tiberius Iulius Iulianus Alexander (governor of Arabia in 125). This rapid succession of consular pairs reflected Hadrian’s efforts to fulfil obligations to promote both traditional office-holders and his political allies (Eck & Weiss, 2005).

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Having recently returned from his extensive travels across the empire, including Greece and the eastern provinces, Hadrian devoted much of 126 to Rome itself. The year was marked by major building projects, religious duties, and administrative reforms. Among the most notable events was the dedication of the Templum Divorum, a large sacred precinct originally constructed by Domitian in the Campus Martius to honour his deified father, Vespasian, and brother, Titus. Hadrian celebrated the occasion with games in the Circus, as recorded in the Fasti Ostienses, featuring 1,835 pairs of gladiators, making it an exceptionally large spectacle (Smallwood, #24).

Imp(erator) Caesar Traianus Hadri]anus Aug(ustus) munu[s] / [edidit 3 t]emplum divoru[m] / [3 dedicavit ob quam] causam in circo / [3 munus editu]m et consumm[at(um)] / [3 pp(aribus)] MDCCCXXXV

[The emperor Hadrian] produced a show of gladiators . . . the Temple Divorum he dedicated, for which reason in the circus . . . the [a?] show of gladiators was produced and brought to perfection with 1835 pairs of gladiators

The Templum Divorum was a large sacred complex that included an open central courtyard, colonnaded porticoes, and shrines dedicated to the imperial cult. It is represented on several fragments of the Forma Urbis, which allows for a fairly accurate description. The enclosed portico, known as the Porticus Divorum, was rectangular, about 200 metres long and 55 wide and featured approximately thirty columns along the longer sides and sixteen along the shorter sides. On the north side of the complex, there were two small tetrastyle prostyle temples facing each other: one dedicated to the divine Titus (Aedes Divi Titi) and the other to the divine Vespasian (Aedes Divi Vespasiani). The entrance to the complex was located at the centre of the north side and consisted of a three-bay arch flanked by two buildings of unknown function, constructed according to a megaron plan. The portico encircled a tree-lined esplanade, which included an altar on the south side that might be identified as the Altar of Mars, although it is possible that this was a separate structure.

By the time of Hadrian, the complex had either fallen into partial disrepair or remained unfinished, and Hadrian formally dedicated (or rededicated) it, marking the occasion with lavish public games recorded in the Fasti Ostienses.

By 126, several other important constructions commissioned by Hadrian in the Campus Martius had either been completed or were nearing completion. As indicated by brick stamps, these included the Pantheon, the Basilica Neptuni directly south of the Pantheon, the Baths of Agrippa and the Saepta Julia with its monumental gateway. Evidence for these restorations also comes from the Historia Augusta, and in line with his policy of modesty, he did not inscribe his own name on the restored building. Instead, he preserved the original dedications to their founders. These restorations formed part of a broader effort by Hadrian to revive the memory of Augustus and to associate himself with the Augustan legacy, especially in the northern Campus Martius (Birley 1997). 

He built public buildings in all places and without number, but he inscribed his own name on none of them except the temple of his father Trajan. At Rome, he restored the Pantheon,⁠ the Voting-enclosure,⁠ the Basilica of Neptune,⁠ very many temples, the Forum of Augustus,⁠ the Baths of Agrippa,⁠ and dedicated all of them in the names of their original builders. Also, he constructed the bridge named after himself, a tomb on the banks of the Tiber,⁠ and the temple of the Bona Dea.⁠ HA, Hadr. 19.9-11

In addition, Hadrian raised the ground level in the northern Campus Martius, constructed embankments, and improved drainage to protect the area from flooding. These efforts, largely completed by the mid-120s, also improved access and traffic flow and harmonised the area’s levels with the new pomerium line he established in 121. Around the Ara Pacis, Hadrian built a retaining wall (dated by brick stamps to 123 and later) and raised the ground level by about 1.80 to 1.88 metres on all sides, bringing the area approximately level with the upper friezes of the altar. This intervention required the creation of new staircases to access the altar, thereby improving the monument’s visibility and accessibility. He also constructed embankments along the Tiber River, as evidenced by inscribed embankment cippi dated from 121 to 124, and built new residential insulae and utilitarian horrea (storehouses) along the Via Lata/Flaminia (Boatwright, 1987).

Other significant projects still underway included the Temple of Venus and Roma (begun around 121–125), the Palazzo of the Gardens of Sallust (Horti Sallustiani), and the Athenaeum, a monumental centre for learning. The Horti Sallustiani, which were imperial property, were located on the northeastern edge of Rome and covered parts of the Pincian and Quirinal hills. The most notable Hadrianic addition was the construction of a monumental garden building known as the “Nymphaeum of the Horti Sallustiani” (also known as the “Aula Adrianea”). This building, dated by brick stamps to after 126, was a large, brick-faced concrete structure, still preserved to four stories in some places. It featured a large, dome-covered circular hall designed for dining, flanked by rectangular rooms and annexes richly decorated with marble revetment, opus sectile floors, stucco, and black-and-white mosaic pavements. Its architectural design closely resembled elements of Hadrian’s Villa at Tivoli.

The Athenaem was a complex, consisting of a series of large auditoria arranged along a curving plan, where members of the Roman elite gathered to listen to speeches, poetry, and philosophical discourse. These halls were equipped with tiers of marble seating facing a central space for declamation, reflecting a carefully designed setting for performance and intellectual exchange. Built of brick and once clad in marble, the Athenaeum formed part of Hadrian’s programme to promote Rome as a centre of Greek and Latin learning.

Also, the Temple of the Deified Trajan and Plotina, which Hadrian commissioned to honour his adoptive father, Trajan, and Trajan’s wife, Plotina, after their deification, was still under construction, with Hadrian personally overseeing its progress. It was to be one of the few monuments on which he allowed his own name to appear, alongside those of Trajan and Plotina (HA, Hadr. 19.9). The temple was located north of Trajan’s Forum, between Trajan’s Column and the Via Lata/Flaminia (modern Via del Corso). It was of considerable size, with architectural fragments indicating a scale even greater than that of the Pantheon. It likely had an octastyle (eight-column) façade and was flanked by porticoes, possibly with granite columns and white marble paving, though the exact plan is debated due to limited archaeological remains.

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While in Rome, Hadrian probably resided in the Domus Augustiana, the imperial palace complex on the Palatine Hill, during the winter. Hadrian undertook significant renovations to this palace to make it more comfortable in winter, particularly between 126 and 132. The renovations focused on improving comfort, notably for winter use by installing a hypocaust system for heating in the Cenatio Jovis, and altering the palace’s exterior to improve its accessibility and appearance. Cenatio Jovis was a grand, formal dining space used for imperial banquets and important gatherings. Architecturally, the room was large and imposing, designed to impress visitors with the emperor’s power and the grandeur of the imperial residence. The hall featured an apse (a semicircular recess), and its decoration included engaged granite columns. The original floor was covered by a new floor supported on brick pillars about 60 centimetres high. However, the opus sectile floor dates to a later, Maxentian redecoration.

There were also structural reinforcements, such as buttressing in the Basilica of the Domus Augustiana and the addition of spur walls and new rooms along the peristyle and porticoes, which changed both the function and the visual impression of the palace’s facades. The renovations also included the construction of tabernae (shops or rooms) along the Via Nova and the Clivus Victoriae, bringing the palace’s facade closer to the Forum and improving communication between the palace and the city below (Boatwright, 1987). The chronology of Hadrian’s renovations is established primarily through the analysis of brick stamps found in the palace’s walls and substructures, which indicate that the main phase of Hadrianic renovation began around 126, with some later work dated by stamps to 129 (Boatwright, 1987).

While Hadrian resided in the Domus Augustiana during the winter months, he used his villa at Tivoli (Villa Adriana) as his summer residence. In 126, the Tiburtine villa was still under active construction and being transformed into a grand imperial palace. Brick stamps and inscriptions indicate that major building activity continued through the 120s, with significant work continuing after 125. During this period, his villa saw the addition of more traditional villa embellishments, such as pavilions, groves, and exedrae, as well as major complexes, including the Piazza d’Oro, the Small Baths, the Accademia, and the Roccabruna (Boatwright, 1987). However, during the summers of 126–128, Hadrian could already enjoy a wide array of completed, luxurious buildings such as the Maritime Theatre and multiple bath complexes.

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In 126, Hadrian served as magister (master) of the Arval Brethren (Fratres Arvales), presiding over their rituals and paying for the erection of a building for the college in Rome. This was a mark of his munificence and religious involvement. This role involved leading the annual rituals at the sacred grove of the Dea Dia, goddess of growth and fertility worshipped by the Arval Brethren, on 19 May. As magister, he would have conducted the ceremonies, invited the college to the palace for sacrifices and a banquet, and funded the construction of a small monument in Rome, perhaps a shrine dedicated to Dea Dia (Alföldy, 1994). A fragmentary inscription celebrates his action as a ‘record of his extraordinary generosity’ and, with the emperor’s authorisation (CIL VI 970).

[——]
[collegium fratrum Arvalium]
[per]missu Hadr[iani Augusti]
[aedicul?]am fecit Imp(eratore) Caes(are) [Hadriano Aug(usto) mag(istro)],
M(arco) Annio Vero III C(aio) Egg[io Ambibulo co(n)s(ulibus)],
[ut docume]ntum esset Romae inso[litae munificentiae eius]
5 [erga fratres Arvales, q]uos Imp(eratoris) Hadriani mag[isterio —]
——?

The college of the Arval Brethren, with the permission of Hadrian Augustus, built a small shrine, under the Emperor Caesar Hadrian Augustus, serving as magister,
in the consulship of Marcus Annius Verus for the third time and Gaius Eggius Ambibulus, so that it might stand at Rome as a record of his extraordinary generosity toward the Arval Brethren, whom, under the leadership (magisterium) of the Emperor Hadrian …

Additionally, a fragment from the Acts of the Arval Brethren, dating to 126, records the careful religious practices of the Arval Brethren, who were responsible for maintaining rituals connected to agricultural fertility and the goddess Dea Dia. The fragmented inscription describes expiatory sacrifices (piacula) performed in May to purify the sacred grove before iron tools could be brought in to carve the official records of the previous year. Because the grove was considered holy, even practical tasks required ritual approval.

in luco deae Diae piaculum factum porca et agna opima, suovetaurilibus fertis,
ob ferrum inlatum scripturae et scalpturae magisteri consummati …
eisdem consulibus … in luco deae Diae
piaculum factum porca et agna opima, suovetaurilibus fertis, ob ferrum
inlatum scripturae
et scalpturae magisteri s(upra) s(cripti).
M. Annio Vero
III
… Eggio Ambibulo co(n)s(ulibus).

In the grove of Dea Dia, an expiatory sacrifice was performed—a choice sow and ewe, with suovetaurilia offerings—because iron had been brought in for writing and carving after the magister’s term had been completed. Under the same consuls, in the grove of Dea Dia, an expiatory sacrifice was performed—a choice sow and ewe, with suovetaurilia offerings—because iron had been brought in for the writing and carving associated with the aforesaid magister. Marcus Annius Verus, for the third time, and Egigius Ambibulus, consuls.

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In 126, Hadrian also held the office of duumvir (chief magistrate) at Ostia for the second time. The office of duumvir was the highest local magistracy in Roman colonial and municipal towns, including Ostia. As duumvir, Hadrian would have presided over the local council, administered justice, overseen public works, and managed the city’s finances and administration. The role of duumvir also included organising and presiding over local festivals, games, and religious ceremonies, as well as ensuring the smooth functioning of the city’s daily affairs. The Fasti Ostienses record his tenure for that year. Although it is not certain that he performed the duties in person, he was actively involved in restoring and embellishing Ostia during this period (Birley,1997).

[IIvir(i) c(ensoria) p(otestate) q(uinquennales) Imp(erator) Caesar Traianus Hadr]ianus Aug(ustus) II

The duumviri with censorial power, acting as quinquennales: Emperor Caesar Hadrian Augustus (for the second time) …

During the reign of Hadrian, Ostia underwent a major, coordinated building programme (Boatwright, 1989). Around c. 120, he rebuilt the central part of the city between the Forum and the Tiber, including much of the Forum itself. This area was raised to a higher level and monumentalised with new porticoes, shops, and the imposing brick Capitolium. At the same time, large public amenities, including major bath complexes, were added, and the commercial hub of the Square of the Corporations was further developed, with decorative and structural updates, including mosaics and alterations to the portico. The Cardo Maximus (main street) was widened and lined with porticoes, improving both the ceremonial and commercial aspects of the city.

More specifically, Hadrian financed the construction of the Baths of the Marine Gate with 2,000,000 sesterces, although they were completed under his successor, Antoninus Pius, with additional money and marble. A building inscription, unearthed by Gavin Hamilton and now housed in the Vatican Museums, records this act of generosity (CIL XVI 98). The inscription is dated to late December AD 138 or 139. A statue of Antinous was excavated in 1774 (see here). More imperial portraits were found of Trajan, his wife Plotina (see here), his sister Marciana (see here), Hadrian (see here), and Antoninus Pius.

The Emperor Caesar, son of the deified Hadrian, grandson of Trajanus Parthicus and great-grandson of the deified Nerva, Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus, pontifex maximus, wth the power of tribune for the second time, consul for the second time, delivered the baths for the construction of which his divine father had promised 2,000,000 sesterces, after adding more money than was wished for and also marble for the entire decoration.

Likewise, the Hadrianic masonry of the Baths of Neptune, with its size and location, suggests imperial sponsorship. A statue of Sabina in the guise of the goddess Ceres (see here) was found in the baths’ palaestra. Ostia was later to publicly express gratitude to Hadrian in a dedicatory inscription from 132/133, declaring the city “preserved and enlarged by Hadrian’s every indulgence and liberality (CIL VI 972).

colonia conservata et aucta omni indulgentia et liberalitate eius

Beyond monumental works, most of Ostia was rebuilt or reorganised with standardised street grids, insulae (apartment blocks), and mixed-use buildings. Numerous structures documented on the site, such as the Caserma dei Vigili, the Caseggiato dei Triclini, and several shop-and-housing complexes in Regio I and II, experienced a Hadrianic building boom. These buildings form part of a city-wide transformation in the second quarter of the 2nd century AD (c. 120–140), when Ostia reached its architectural and economic peak.

During his tenure as duumvir at Ostia in 126, Hadrian assigned land to settlers, following the precedent of Vespasian and Trajan. The exact identity of these recipients is unclear, but they were likely imperial tenants or possibly the landless poor from Rome, rather than military veterans. This may have been an attempt to encourage settlement and agricultural productivity near Rome, or a gesture of imperial generosity (Boatwright, 1989).

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Despite his focus on Italy, Hadrian maintained active correspondence with Greek cities and continued to manage imperial affairs across the empire. The emperor wrote a letter to the Koinon (Council) of the Achaians in 126, copies of which have been found at both Athens and Olympia (Ol. 78 A-B). The inscriptions record a decree of the Achaian League honouring Hadrian after an embassy asked him to accept various honours. In his reply, Hadrian accepts some honours but rejects others as excessive, while praising the League’s goodwill. The honours included festivals, sacrifices, and public proclamations, showing the typical pattern of emperor worship negotiated between Greek communities and the Roman ruler. Hadrian refused “divine honours” (i.e. being treated as a god while alive), which elevated him too far, but accepted more moderate honours, such as statues and dedications in sanctuaries.

Sources and references:

• Alföldy, G. (1977). Hadrian als magister der fratres Arvales (CIL VI 970). Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik, 26, 205–212.
• Birley, A. R. (1981). The fasti of Roman Britain. Oxford University Press.
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