April 21, 753 BC, is the traditional date given for the founding of Rome. According to Roman mythology, the founders were Romulus and Remus, twin brothers and sons of the gods Mars and Rhea Silvia. The twins were then abandoned by their parents as babies (because of a prophecy that they would overthrow their great-uncle… Continue reading Happy birthday, Roma!
The spectacular Pergamon Panorama exhibition, currently hosted by the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, takes visitors to the ancient Greek city of Pergamon in Asia Minor as it existed in AD 129. It depicts the Roman era under Hadrian, who spent some time in the city. The Panorama was developed in 2011 by the artist and… Continue reading Exhibition: Pergamon 360° Panorama, the ancient city as it looked during the time of Hadrian
Happy 1944th birthday, Hadrian! This year, I chose to bake a honey cake for Hadrian’s birthday celebration. 🎂 Ingredients: 3 eggs 200 grams liquid honey 50 grams spelt flour Instructions: Whip eggs with an electric mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat them until they are stiff and form peaks. Slowly… Continue reading Felicem diem natalem, Hadriane! 🎂
As was the custom at the beginning of every year, annual public vows were made by all magistrates and all priestly colleges for the welfare and safety (salus) of the Emperor. Amongst the collegia inaugurating the new year with oaths were the Arval Brethren (fratres arvales), a highly exclusive priesthood revived by Augustus and centered around… Continue reading The Acts of the Arval Brethren of AD 120 (#Hadrian1900)
In December of the year 119, Hadrian faced a personal tragedy. He said farewell to his beloved mother-in-law, Salonia Matidia, who passed away in her early 50s. Immediately after her death, Hadrian granted her extravagant honours. He arranged for her deification, delivered a speech in her honour, turned the commemoration of her passing into a… Continue reading 23 December AD 119 – Hadrian commemorates his mother-in-law, Salonia Matidia (#Hadrian1900)
https://villaludovisi.org/2019/11/15/new-an-unnoticed-portrait-of-hadrians-first-heir-l-aelius-caesar-in-romes-casino-aurora/ Did I make a great discovery in the Ludovisi collection of Roman antiquities? While in Rome at the beginning of November, Corey Brennan (Associate Professor of Classics at Rutgers University), who generously invited me to stay at the American Academy of Rome, brought me to the Casino of the Villa Ludovisi (also known as Villa… Continue reading NEW: An unnoticed portrait of Hadrian’s first heir, L. Aelius Caesar, in Rome’s Casino Aurora?
Lebanon is famously known for the presence of a very special kind of tree, the legendary cedar tree (cedrus libani). It is emblazoned on the national flag and is one of the most defining features of Lebanon's culture due to its long history. The country is the most densely wooded in the Middle East, and… Continue reading The forest inscriptions of Hadrian in Mount Lebanon
On 4 August AD 119, a copy of a letter written by Hadrian and addressed to Quintus Rammius Martialis, the prefect of Egypt (AD 117-19), was published in Alexandria. In his letter, Hadrian granted illegitimate children of soldiers conceived during their fathers' military service the right to inherit. The text was translated in Greek from… Continue reading 4 August AD 119 – A letter from Hadrian conferring new rights to illegitimate children of soldiers is published in Alexandria (#Hadrian1900)
Less than a year after arriving in Rome as the new emperor, Hadrian journeyed to Campania, the southern region of Italy where Greek civilisation had once flourished. A passage in the Historia Augusta gives a chronological order of events and states that the journey came after the removal of the prefects, placing Hadrian's Campanian excursion sometime in… Continue reading AD 119 – Hadrian visits Campania to aid the towns by gifts and benefactions (#Hadrian1900)
Learn about how Hadrian created the Pantheon as we know it today from the ruins of previous temples built by Marcus Agrippa and Domitian. A guest post by Context Travel Tours. Hadrian - the great unifier of the Roman Empire, the admirer of Athens, the architect, the poet, the visionary. As one of Rome’s most… Continue reading Guest post: How Hadrian helped rebuild the Pantheon
