On January AD 119, Hadrian celebrated the new year (year 872 Ab urbe condita) in Rome as consul for the third time (COS III) and appointed Publius Dasumius Rusticus as ordinary consul. Rusticus is known only from his consulship and the reason why he received this prestigious honour is not known. It may be that… Continue reading January AD 119 – Hadrian inaugurates the new year in Rome (#Hadrian1900)
In AD 115, while Trajan and the majority of the Roman troops were campaigning in Parthia in the East, the diasporic Jews rose against Rome, creating havoc in Cyrenaica, Egypt and Cyprus. The hostilities started in Cyrene and quickly spread to Alexandria, Judaism's largest city, and resulted not only in great loss of life but… Continue reading The rebuilding of Cyrene by Hadrian in AD 118/9 (#Hadrian1900)
Of the many bronze portraits of Hadrian that are known to have existed, only three have survived from antiquity. After the exhibition 'Hadrian: An Emperor Cast in Bronze' (see here) held at the Israel Museum in Jerusalem from December 2015 to June 2016, the Musée du Louvre invites us to discover these exceptional portraits in… Continue reading Exhibition: Three bronze portraits of Hadrian at the Louvre, Paris
In the context of "The Unseen Museum" rotating-object programme and the temporary exhibition "Hadrian and Athens Conversing with an Ideal World", currently taking place in Gallery 31a of the Sculpture Collection, the Archaeological Museum of Athens brought to light two unique artefacts from their storerooms. Fifteen selected antiquities had already been displayed, and this time,… Continue reading Exhibition: ‘Hadrian and Antinous: an encounter, 19 centuries later’ at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens (#Hadrian1900)
Soon after the accession of Hadrian, a number of important cities sent congratulatory embassies to the new princeps by which they expressed their warm wishes and asked confirmation of the privileges bestowed to them by Trajan. One such embassy, sent from Hierapolis towards the end of AD 117, returned with a letter from the emperor.… Continue reading AD 118 – Hadrian sends letters of reply to Astypalaea and Delphi (#Hadrian1900)
An exhibition entitled 'Hadrian, Saviour and Builder' is currently being held at the newly restored Fethiye Mosque in Athens’ Roman Agora. --- The exhibition, which opened last January, is being organized by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Athens. In the autumn of 2010, the Ministry of Culture ordered the emptying of the various antiquities stored… Continue reading Exhibition: ‘Hadrian, Saviour and Builder’ at the Fethiye Mosque in Athens (#Hadrian1900)
In 2014, Rome celebrated the bimillenary of the death of Emperor Augustus who took his last breath aged 75 in his villa in the town of Nola in AD 14. To commemorate this important milestone, the Italian capital launched a series of special events, including the opening of the Villa di Livia in Prima Porta and… Continue reading The Acts of the Arval Brethren of AD 118 (#Hadrian1900)
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)
