The Roman Series: Who was Emperor Hadrian?

Hadrian was born on 24 January 76, probably in Italy (near modern Seville) in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica. He was named Publius Aelius Hadrianus after his father. His father was a senator of praetorian rank.  Hadrian's mother was Domitia Paulina, daughter of a distinguished Hispano-Roman senatorial family from Gades (Cádiz).  

Childhood

Hadrian's father was thus a senator and would have spent much of his time in  Rome. Trajan was Hadrian's father's first cousin.  In 86, Hadrian's parents died. He was then only ten years old. He and his sister became wards of Trajan. Hadrian enjoyed hunting. When he was 14, Trajan ordered him to Rome and arranged his further education to become a young Roman aristocrat. Hadrian had an enthusiasm for Greek literature and  culture, which gave him the nickname: Graeculus ("Greekling").

Emperor Hadrian @ Louvre in France

Source picture: Wikipedia 

Love and Marriage

Hadrian married Trajan's seventeen or eighteen-year-old grandniece Vibia Sabina. 

Public Service

Hadrian's first official post in Rome was a member of the decemviri stlitibus judicandis (one of the lowest level offices).  Then he served as a military tribune, first with the Legio II Adiutrix in 95 and

later with the Legio V Macedonica. 

When emperor Nerva adopted Trajan as his heir, Hadrian was dispatched to give Trajan the news. Hadrian was transferred to Legio XXII Prigimenia.  In 101 Hadrian returned to Rome. He was elected quaestor and then quaestor imperatoris Traiani, the liaison officer between Emperor and the assembled Senate. 

During the First Dacian War, Hadrian took the field as a member of Trajan's personal entourage, but he was excused from his military post to take office in Rome. Between 107 and 108, Hadrian defeated an invasion of Roman-controlled Banat and Oltenia. 

When he was in his mid-thirties, Hadrian finally travelled to Greece. He received the Athenian citizenship. the Athenians awarded him with a statue.

Hadrian @ Altes Museum in Berlin

Source picture: Wikipedia

Emperor

On 11 August 117, Hadrian became Roman Emperor.

Travels

Hadrian spent more than half his reign outside Italy. Hadrian wished to see things for himself. This was a break with traditions and attitudes.  From 119 till 121, the province of Britannia had suffered a major

rebellion. In 122 Hadrian initiated the construction of a wall to separate romans from barbarians. By the end of 122 Hadrian had  concluded his visit to Britannia, he never saw the finished wall that bears his name. 

Hadrian spent the winter of 122/123 at Tarraco in Spain where he restored the Temple of Augustus. 

In 123 Hadrian crossed the Mediterranean to Mauretania, where he  personally led a minor campaign against local rebels. 

Hadrian also travelled through Anatolia. During the autumn of 124, Emperor Hadrian arrived in Greece. He created two foundations to fund Athens' public games, festivals and competitions. 

During the winter he toured the Peloponnese although his exact route is uncertain. 

In March 125, Hadrian presided at the Athenian festival of Dionysia, wearing Athenian dress.

On his return to Italy, Hadrian made a detour to Sicily. Back in Rome he saw the rebuilt Pantheon and his completed villa nearby Tibur.

In early March 127, Hadrian set off on a tour of Italy. Hadrian fell ill around this time. It did not stop him setting of in the spring of 128 to Africa. 

Hadrianus Statue in Istanbul, Turkey

Source picture: Wikipedia

In September 128, Hadrian visited Greece again. From Greece, he proceeded by way of Asia to Egypt. On 29 August 130 he arrived in Egypt.  Hadrian spent the winter of 131-132 in Athens where he dedicated  the now-completed Temple of Olympian Zeus. In 132 he headed East to Judaea. 

In Roman Judaea he visited Jerusalem, which was still in ruins  after the First Roman-Jewish War. He may have planned to rebuild Jerusalem as a roman colony. 

Final years

Hadrian spent the final years of his life in Rome. Probably in 136 Empress Sabina died, after an unhappy marriage with Hadrian.  His marriage with Sabina had been childless. In 136 he had  adopted one of the consuls: Lucius Ceionius Commodus who took the name Lucius Aelius Caesar. There were some speculations that Lucius was his natural son. 

Hadrian also adopted Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionius Arrius Antonius, who had served Hadrian as one of the five imperial legates of Italy and as proconsul of Asia. 

Death

Hadrian died on 10 July 138, in his villa at Baiae at the age of 62. He had reigned for 21 years, the longest reigning emperor since Tiberius. 

He was buried first at Puteoli near Baiae but when the Tomb of Hadrian was finished in Rome in 139 his body was transferred to Rome. 

Legacy

Hadrian had an abiding and enthusiastic interest in art, architecture and public works. Rome's Pantheon destroyed by a fire in 80, was partly restored under Trajan and completed under Hadrian in the form it retains to this day. More about Rome's Pantheon on this link. 

Rome's pantheon own picture taken in 2017

Hadrian wrote poetry in both Latin and Greek. He also wrote an autobiography.  He was familiar with the rival philosophers Epictetus and Favorinus and with their works. He held an interest in Roman philosophy. 

Another famous work in Rome was the Hadrian Mausoleum also called the Castel Sant' Angelo. More about the Castel Sant' Angelo on this link. 

Castel Sant' Angelo

Own picture taken in 2017