In late spring AD 125, after visiting Delphi and possibly spending time in Dyrrachium (see here), Hadrian set sail for Rome, having completed a four-year journey across the western and eastern provinces. However, instead of sailing directly to Rome and embarking for Brundisium, he chose to sail to Sicily. This detour did not appear to have any… Continue reading Late Spring AD 125 – Hadrian visits Sicily to climb Mount Etna and returns to Rome (#Hadrian1900)
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 to them. 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… Continue reading Winter AD 124/5 – Hadrian tours the Peloponnese (part 2) and visits Sparta and Corinth (#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)
After Pergamon and Sardis (see here), two other great cities of western Asia had their turn to receive Hadrian and his party, Smyrna and Ephesus. Both metropoleis were perennial rivals, competing for first place in the province and the coveted title of neokoros. Travelling with Hadrian was one of the most renowned sophists of his… Continue reading Summer AD 124 – Hadrian tours Asia (part 3), visits Smyrna and Ephesus and sails to Athens (#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)
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 the winter of AD 122/3 in Tarraco (see here), Hadrian left Spain and set sail for Antioch and the Euphrates frontier, probably reaching his destination in June 123. According to a drastically abbreviated passage in the Historia Augusta, the Emperor aimed to meet the Parthian king (or receive Parthian envoys), indicating a renewal of hostilities between… Continue reading June AD 123 – Hadrian returns to the East and inspects the frontiers of northern Syria and Cappadocia (#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)
At some stage during his inspections of the northern military borders and fortifications, Hadrian was in the province of Noricum. The evidence for this visit derives from coins celebrating his official arrival (adventus) and, as in Raetia (see here), the army (exercitus Noricus). He may even have visited the famous iron mines that produced the highly prized… Continue reading Winter AD 121/2 – Hadrian inspects the northern frontiers: part 3 Noricum (#Hadrian1900)
