After the death of Trajan on 8 August AD 117, Hadrian drafted a carefully worded letter to the Senate in Rome. In this letter, he reported his accession to the throne and requested divine honours for his adoptive father, Trajan. Hadrian also apologised for assuming the imperial title based solely on the acclamation of the… Continue reading Late September AD 117 – Hadrian receives the Senate’s response to his letter (#Hadrian1900)
The Aquincum Museum, in Budapest, Hungary's capital, is currently hosting an exhibition dedicated to Hadrian to commemorate his accession to the throne 1,900 years ago. The exhibition, part of Aquincum's "Hadrian's Year 2017" program, is being hosted in the old museum building located in the centre of the Archaeological Park. It presents various themes and… Continue reading Exhibition: ‘Hadrianus MCM – History of an Ancient Career’ in Budapest (#Hadrian1900)
On 25 August AD 117, two weeks after Hadrian's proclamation in Antioch, the new prefect of Egypt (Praefectus Aegypti), Quintus Rammius Martialis, issued a circular letter to the strategoi of the Egyptian districts (nomes) announcing Hadrian's accession to the imperial throne and instructing them to declare festivities for ten days. The document, written in Greek, has… Continue reading 25 August AD 117 – The announcement of Hadrian’s accession in Alexandria (#Hadrian1900)
On August 12 AD 117, Marcus Ulpius Phaedimus, a twenty-eight-year-old freedman and personal servant of Trajan, died in Selinus, Cilicia. This occurred just a few days after Trajan's death and only one day after Hadrian received the news of Trajan's passing. This coincidence added to the mystery surrounding the circumstances of Hadrian's adoption. Phaedimus, who… Continue reading 12 August AD 117 – A mysterious death occurs in Selinus (#Hadrian1900)
On 11 August AD 117, news of Trajan's death in Selinus reached Hadrian, who was 41 and serving as the provincial governor of 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.… Continue reading 11 August AD 117 – Hadrian is proclaimed emperor in Antioch (#Hadrian1900)
On 9 August AD 117, Trajan's letter of adoption (litteras adoptionis) was made public when it reached Hadrian in Antioch. Hadrian was now Caesar. As mentioned earlier (see here), there had been some uncertainty about whether Trajan had adopted Hadrian as his son and successor before his death or if Plotina staged the adoption. The… Continue reading 9 August AD 117 – Trajan’s letter of adoption reaches Hadrian (#Hadrian1900)
On 8 August AD 117, after a 19-year reign of military glory, Emperor Trajan died at the coastal town of Selinus in western Cilicia (present-day Gazipaşa, about 180 km East of Antalya on the southern coast of Turkey). According to Cassius Dio, Trajan fell seriously ill after an unsuccessful siege of the Mesopotamian city of… Continue reading 8 August AD 117 – Trajan dies at Selinus (#Hadrian1900)
At the start of the month, I headed to Hadrian’s Wall to attend some of the Roman events taking place to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Hadrian’s Wall being a UNESCO World Heritage Site and 1,900 years since Hadrian became Emperor. Hadrian’s Cavalry was the theme chosen for the celebrations, with a fantastic programme of… Continue reading Turma! Hadrian’s Cavalry Charge in Carlisle
On the eastern tip of the Rodopou Peninsula in West Crete are the scanty remains of a temple dedicated to the Cretan goddess Diktynna (Diktynnaion). Diktynna was the virgin goddess of hunting, worshipped fervently in western Crete as the patroness of hunters and fishermen. Diktynna's name may be connected with Mount Dikte, but the Greek… Continue reading The Hadrianic Temple of Diktynna in Crete
This month's sculpture from Hadrian's Villa is a grey basalt Osiris-Canopus jar. The vase represents a form of the Egyptian god Osiris depicted as a jar topped by a human head known as Osiris-Hydreios, or commonly Osiris-Canopus, because it was originally exclusively connected to the Canopic region of Egypt. It was discovered in the middle… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Osiris-Canopus jar
