Today I was thrilled to discover that a beautiful bust of Hadrian had been excavated at the archaeological site of Los Torrejones in the Region of Murcia in Spain. The bust, characterized by its excellent condition, was discovered during archaeological digs at the site which ran from October to December 2014. It was only unveiled… Continue reading Exquisite marble bust of Hadrian found in Spain
Just a short walk from the Pantheon, in Piazza di Pietra, are the majestic remains of the Temple of the deified Hadrian (Hadrianeum), built by Antoninus Pius, Hadrian's adopted son and successor. Only eleven columns with capitals and the cella wall of the original temple are still visible today. In 1696, during the pontificate of… Continue reading The Hadrianeum and the personifications of provinces
Caesarea Maritima is one of Israel's most famous archaeological sites. Its ruins are located by the seashore of Israel, about halfway between Tel Aviv and Haifa. It is the site of one of the most important cities in the Roman World, the capital of the Roman province of Judea. The city was founded between 22… Continue reading The Hadrianic Aqueduct of Caesarea Maritima
With thousands of archaeological sites, Jerusalem is one of the most excavated cities on the planet, and walking its streets is like walking through a thousand years of history. This ancient city has been fought over more than any other place. It has been conquered, destroyed and rebuilt many times, and Hadrian played a significant… Continue reading Exploring Aelia Capitolina, Hadrian’s Jerusalem
About a year and a half after the discovery of the bronze statue of Hadrian in 1977 (see previous post here), six fragments of a monumental Latin inscription – the largest ever found in Israel – were discovered near the camp of the Sixth Legion in Tel Shalem. The inscription, inscribed in three lines, had belonged… Continue reading The inscription dedicated to Hadrian from the Tel Shalem arch
On July 25, 1975, an American tourist discovered a magnificent bronze cuirassed statue of the Roman Emperor Hadrian while searching for ancient coins with a metal detector in Tel Shalem, located in the Beth Shean Valley, Israel. This site was once occupied by a detachment of the Sixth Roman Legion (Legio VI Ferrata). The statue… Continue reading Bronze statue of Hadrian from the legionary camp at Tel Shalem (Judaea), Israel Museum
This month's sculpture from Hadrian's Villa is a head of a goddess made of Pentelic marble. She is wearing a diadem in her wavy hair that is centrally parted and dressed in a chignon at the nape of her neck. It was found in a cryptoporticus near the circular temple dedicated to the Venus of… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Head of a diademed goddess
Built in 1974 over the remains of a Roman villa, the Romano-Germanic Museum in Cologne houses an extensive collection of Roman artefacts from the Roman settlement of Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (named after Agrippina the Younger, born in Cologne), the capital of the Imperial Province of Germania Inferior. The museum houses the largest collection of… Continue reading The Nerva-Antonines in Cologne
This month’s masterpiece from Hadrian’s Villa is a bas-relief representing a boy with a horse, probably Castor taming his horse, accompanied by a dog. This marble slab was carved using the ancient flat style in the manner of Greek works of the 5th century BC. It was found in an area of Hadrian’s villa known… Continue reading Art and sculptures from Hadrian’s Villa: Marble relief depicting a youth with his horse
About halfway along today’s Via del Corso, once known as Via Lata, a large Roman arch used to span the street until the mid-17th century. Originally called the Arcus Hadriani, the arch was renamed Arco di Portogallo (Arch of Portugal) in the 16th century because it was located near the residence of the Portuguese ambassador, the… Continue reading The Hadrianic reliefs from the Arch of Portugal (Arco di Portogallo), Rome
