Four years had passed since Hadrian last saw Rome, and it was time for him to return home. In the spring of AD 125, the Emperor departed from Athens and began his journey northward to the Adriatic port of Dyrrachium. Along the way, Hadrian visited Boeotia and Phocis, where he dedicated a bear skin to… Continue reading Spring AD 125 – Hadrian travels to Boeotia and Phocis and visits Delphi (#Hadrian1900)
Hadrian spent much of the winter of 124/125 touring the Peloponnese, visiting all the major cities and providing benefactions. The first part of his journey took him to Megara, Athens' old adversary, then to Epidaurus, Argos and Mantineia (see here). The Emperor then continued southward to the renowned city of Sparta before returning to Athens,… Continue reading Winter AD 124/5 – Hadrian tours the Peloponnese (part 2) and visits Sparta and Corinth (#Hadrian1900)
After attending the Eleusinian Mysteries (see here), Hadrian embarked on a brief tour of the Peloponnese with his wife, Sabina. The Emperor's presence in several renowned cities during this period is well-documented, although no exact dates have been recorded. Wherever the imperial court went, cities benefited from the Emperor's generosity, as his desire was, among other… Continue reading Winter AD 124/5 – Hadrian tours the Peloponnese (part 1) and visits Megara, Argos and Mantineia (#Hadrian1900)
Eleven years had passed since Hadrian last visited Athens. During his stay there, in his mid-thirties, he became an Athenian citizen, enrolled in the tribe of Besa, and served as archon (IG II² 2024) before departing to join Trajan's Parthian campaign in the East. He may have visited several cities besides Athens, but we have no… Continue reading Autumn AD 124 – Hadrian arrives in Athens and attends the Eleusinian Mysteries (#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 touring the province of Bithynia, where Hadrian may have first encountered Antinous (see here), the Emperor crossed the Sea of Marmara to Thrace. Accompanying him was the renowned sophist and teacher of rhetoric, Antonius Polemon. Polemon chronicled this journey in his Physiognomica, a treatise on physiognomy later preserved in a 14th-century Arabic translation. In his writings, Polemon recalls, "I was a… Continue reading Spring AD 124 – Hadrian visits Thrace and founds Hadrianopolis (#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)
After his inspection tour of the eastern frontier provinces (see here), Hadrian travelled through the Pontic mountains to the Black Sea port of Trapezus (present-day Trabzon), the northernmost end of the Cappadocian limes. Trapezus was one of the furthest points reached by Hadrian, and in the AD 130s, his friend Lucius Flavius Arrianus, as governor of… Continue reading Autumn AD 123 – Hadrian reaches Trapezus and sails westwards along the Pontic coast (#Hadrian1900)
Having returned to Gaul from Britain (see here), Hadrian made the only recorded visit to his native land as emperor during the winter of AD 122/3. He took up residence in Tarraco (Tarragona), Rome's oldest foundation on the Iberian Peninsula and the capital of Hispania Tarraconensis. Anthony Birley proposed identifying some members of Hadrian's retinue.… Continue reading Winter AD 122/3 – Hadrian stays in Tarraco and rebuilds the Temple of Augustus (#Hadrian1900)
In late AD 122, Hadrian departed from Britain and sailed towards Gaul. He travelled southwards to Nemausus (Nîmes) in Narbonensis, then crossed the Pyrenees and arrived in Spain. His journey would have followed the Via Agrippa from Bononia (Boulogne) on the North Sea to Lugdunum (Lyon), then down the Rhone valley, and finally along the… Continue reading Autumn AD 122 – Hadrian returns to Gaul and commemorates his horse and Plotina (#Hadrian1900)
