After Pergamon and Sardis (see here), two other great cities of western Asia had their turn to receive Hadrian and his party, Smyrna and Ephesus. Both metropoleis were perennial rivals, competing with each other for first place in the province and the granting of the acclaimed title of neokoros. Travelling with Hadrian was one of… Continue reading Summer AD 124 – Hadrian tours Asia (part 3), visits Smyrna and Ephesus and sails to Athens (#Hadrian1900)
In the summer of 124, Hadrian continued his journey through the province of Asia, heading south to visit the great cities of Pergamon, Sardis, Smyrna and Ephesus. From Hadrianotherae, where the Emperor had a successful bear hunt (see here), his route would have taken him up along the rugged Caicus River Valley, which joined Mysia's… Continue reading Summer AD 124 – Hadrian tours Asia (part 2) and visits Pergamon and Sardis (#Hadrian1900)
After sailing along the southern Black Sea coast, possibly visiting the Pontic towns of Amisus, Sinope and Amastris (see here), Hadrian is thought to have spent the winter of 123/4 in Nicomedia or possibly Byzantium. Nicomedia was the capital of the dual province of Pontus et Bithynia, located in what is now Izmit, northern Turkey.… Continue reading Early AD 124 – Hadrian spends the winter in Nicomedia, tours Bithynia and “meets” Antinous (#Hadrian1900)
One thousand nine hundred years ago, Hadrian most likely celebrated the new year (year 871 Ab urbe condita) in Nicomedia, the capital of the province of Pontus and Bithynia in worth-west Asia Minor. After a short stay in Nicaea (see previous post here), Hadrian and his army continued to march towards Byzantium along the Gulf… Continue reading January AD 118 – Hadrian inaugurates the new year in Nicomedia (#Hadrian1900)
2017 was a very special year for me as the year marked the 1900th anniversary of the accession of Hadrian to the imperial throne and the start of my Hadrian 1900 project. I travelled to 9 countries, visited 57 new archaeological sites, 21 new archaeological museums and attended 4 exhibitions. Here’s an overview of my… Continue reading My 2017 travel round-up
On the news of Trajan's death and Hadrian's accession, embassies from every part of the empire were sent to pay homage to the new Emperor. They carried letters of congratulations with them, and each received a written answer, which would be taken home and proudly reproduced in stone to be displayed in a public space.… Continue reading End of AD 117 – Hadrian sends a letter of reply to Hierapolis (#Hadrian1900)
After spending a few days in Ancyra, the Galatian capital (see previous post here), Hadrian continued to travel westward towards the Danube provinces. He reached the little town of Juliopolis just inside Bithynia on 11 November. Epigraphic evidence has revealed that Hadrian addressed a missive to Pergamum from Juliopolis, a formal letter of thanks to an… Continue reading 11 November AD 117 – Hadrian reaches Juliopolis in Bithynia (#Hadrian1900)
On 15 October 117, Hadrian crossed the Cilician Gates (Pylae Ciliciae), the most famous mountain pass through the Taurus Mountains. The new Emperor was travelling northward into Cappadocia along the Via Tauri, which runs across the mountain chain. We know from a fragment of an itinerary found in Rome that Hadrian left Antioch at the… Continue reading 15 October AD 117 – Hadrian crosses the Cilician gates and arrives in Cappadocia (#Hadrian1900)
Hadrian and his travels have often served as the guiding thread for my travels. However, my recent trip to Turkey had a different focus, the Hittite civilization, with one of the highlights being a visit to the Museum of Anatolian Civilizations in Ankara. After dazzling at the magnificent artefacts on display on the museum's main… Continue reading The cuirassed statue of Hadrian from Ancyra’s theatre (Ankara, Turkey)
On 13 December AD 115¹, Hadrian survived a violent and devastating earthquake while wintering in Antioch during Trajan's campaign in the east. Hadrian had been in Syria since January AD 114 as imperial legate (envoy to the emperor) and, as such, had taken up residence in Antiochia ad Orontem (Antioch on the Orontes). The city… Continue reading The AD 115 earthquake in Antioch
