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)
In the late spring of AD 124, Hadrian departed from Thrace (see here) and travelled back to Asia Minor, this time to the Roman province of Asia. He was accompanied by the sophist Polemon (Marcus Antonius Polemo) and his "soldiers and carriages." The imperial party's first destination was the peninsula of Cyzicus on the southern… Continue reading Summer AD 124 – Hadrian tours Asia (part 1), visits Cyzicus and Troy and hunts a she-bear (#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)
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)
It is one of the best preserved and most beautiful structures on Curetes Street. The temple of Hadrian was built before 138 A.D by P. Quintilius and was dedicated to the Emperor Hadrian, who came to visit the city from Athens in 129 A.D. The facade of the temple has four Corinthian columns supporting a… Continue reading Picture of the week: Curetes Street and the Temple of Hadrian, Ephesus (Turkey)
Phaselis was an ancient Greek and Roman city on the coast of Lycia, today situated 35km south of Antalya. Shaded by towering pine trees, its ruins lie scattered around three small, beautiful bays. Once a thriving port shipping timber and rose oil, its beauty is now admired by thousands of visitors each year. Phaselis was… Continue reading Hadrian goes to Phaselis – images from a Lycian harbour city
The magnificent Hellenistic theatre at Pergamon is the centerpiece of the acropolis of the ancient city, which is located just north of the modern-day town of Bergama on Turkey's northern Aegean coast. It is said to be the steepest ancient theatre in the world and the view down to the valley is rather spectacular. The… Continue reading Picture of the week: The Hellenistic Theatre on the Upper Acropolis of Pergamon (Turkey)
The larger than life size marble statue depicts Hadrian (from the Chiaramonti 392 type) in military garb including a leather molded chest covering (cuirass), a military cloak (paludamentum) draped over his shoulder and arm, a special belt (cingulum), a knee length garment (tunic), sandals, etc. His head is crowned with a tall wreath of oak… Continue reading Cuirassed statue of Hadrian wearing the Corona Civica, from the North Nymphaeum at Perga, Antalya Museum
Ahead of tonight's programme about Caligula (BBC Two 21:00) presented by Mary Beard, here is a picture of a bronze fitting head of Medusa that decorated one of the Nemi Ships. The vessels were built on the orders of emperor Caligula around AD 37-41. The bronze fittings are the most important set of objects found… Continue reading Picture of the week: Head of Medusa, bronze fitting of the Nemi Ships built by Caligula at Lake Nemi
The Temple of Apollo at Claros (also called Klaros) was a very important center of prophecy as in Delphi and Didyma. The temple, which probably replaced an earlier one, is dated to the third century BC and is the only temple built in Doric style in Ionia. It was built upon a stepped platform measuring 26… Continue reading Picture of the day: The Temple of Apollo at Claros, Ionia
