On 24 January AD 119, Hadrian celebrated his 43rd birthday in Rome, the first he spent in the capital as emperor. The emperor put on a gladiatorial show lasting six consecutive days to mark the occasion. Dio Cassius and the Historia Augusta reported that many wild animals were slaughtered, including 100 lions and 100 lionesses.… Continue reading 24 January AD 119 – Hadrian celebrates his 43rd birthday in Rome with gladiatorial games (#Hadrian1900)
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)
Since November of 2017, the National Archaeological Museum of Athens and the Italian Archaeological School at Athens have been hosting a temporary exhibition called Hadrian and Athens. Conversing with an Ideal World in Gallery 31a of the Sculpture Collection. The exhibition marks 1900 years since the beginning of Hadrian's principate in August AD 117, an anniversary already celebrated in… Continue reading Exhibition: ‘Hadrian and Athens. Conversing with an Ideal World’ at the National Archaeological Museum of Athens (#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)
An essay by Nick Leonard. The emperor of Rome, ‘god and Panhellene,’1 was not one to linger anywhere, and certainly not in the capital city that he despised. All the major hallmarks of Hadrian’s reign – his civic architectural projects, his defensive fortifications, his drilling of the legions – stemmed from a restlessness that compelled… Continue reading Guest post: “Always in all things changeable”: The emperor and his tomb
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
Upon his return to Rome (see previous post here), Hadrian's first task was to regain the people's favour after the killing of four ex-consuls who were accused of plotting against him. To boost his popularity and win public opinion in Rome, the new princeps introduced a number of important financial reforms, including distributing largesses and remitting debts. Hadrian's… Continue reading The early reforms and economic policies of Hadrian (#Hadrian1900)
After a long journey travelling from Antioch, through Asia Minor and the Danube provinces, Hadrian finally arrived in Rome on 9 July AD 118, almost a year after his accession to the throne following the death of Trajan in Cilicia. His arrival (adventus) in the capital was celebrated by the Arval Brethren with solemn sacrifices… Continue reading 9 July AD 118 – Hadrian enters Rome (#Hadrian1900)
In the context of "The Unseen Museum" rotating-object programme and the temporary exhibition Hadrian and Athens Conversing with an Ideal World, currently on display in Gallery 31a of the Sculpture Collection, the Archaeological Museum of Athens brought to light two unique artefacts from its 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)
After suppressing the uprisings in Moesia Inferior (see post here), Hadrian quickly inspected the military bases along the lower and middle Danube frontier. As the governor of the province of Pannonia Inferior in AD 106, the new emperor was already familiar with the area. During his time in Pannonia Inferior, he had taken command of… Continue reading Late spring AD 118 – Hadrian inspects his troops along the Danube Limes (#Hadrian1900)
