After less than a year spent in Rome since his arrival in the capital as the new emperor, Hadrian journeyed into Campania, the southern region of Italy where Greek civilisation had once flourished. A passage in the Historia Augusta gives a chronological order of the events and states that the journey came after the removal… Continue reading AD 119 – Hadrian visits Campania to aid the towns by gifts and benefactions (#Hadrian1900)
On a recent trip to Italy, I visited the Archaeological Area of Minturnae, a little-known but impressive archaeological site along the Appian Way. Minturnae was originally an Auruncian city (of which no archaeological traces have been found), one of the three towns of the Aurunci which allied themselves with the Samnites and made war against… Continue reading Exploring Minturnae, a forgotten ancient city on the Appian Way
In just a few hours I will be travelling to Greece in Hadrian's footsteps, retracing the journey he undertook in the province of Achaia in 124-125 AD. “Hardly any emperor ever traveled with such speed over so much territory” the Historia Augusta tells us. Surely Hadrian was the emperor who honored the provinces with his presence… Continue reading Following Hadrian in Achaia
The legendary capital of Lycia had always been the most important city of the country. Strabo describes it as the biggest city in Lycia. "Then one comes to the Xanthus River, which the people of earlier times called the Sirbis. Sailing up this river by rowboat for ten stadia one comes to the Letoüm; and… Continue reading Exploring Xanthos – images from the biggest city in Lycia
As mentioned in part 1, Sagalassos made the headlines in the international press in 2007 and 2008 due to the unexpected discovery of three extraordinary statues of the emperors Hadrian, Marcus Aurelius and empress Faustina the Elder, Antoninus Pius' wife. The statues were originally located in the frigidarium, the coldest and largest room in the Roman… Continue reading Exploring Sagalassos – images from the city in the clouds (part 2 – Lower Agora)
