Hadrian
| Hadrian | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emperorof theRoman Empire | |||||
 Marble bust of Hadrian. | |||||
| Reign | 10 August 117 – 10 July 138 (20 years, 334 days) | ||||
| Predecessor | Trajan | ||||
| Successor | Antoninus Pius | ||||
| Born | 24 January 76 Italica,Hispania | ||||
| Died | 10 July 138(aged 62) Baiae | ||||
| Burial | Rome | ||||
| Spouse | Vibia Sabina | ||||
| Issue | Lucius Aelius Antoninus Pius (both adoptive) | ||||
| |||||
| Dynasty | Nervan-Antonian | ||||
| Father | Publius Aelius Hadrianus Afer | ||||
| Mother | Domitia Paulina | ||||
Hadrian(Publius Aelius Hadrianus,[1]24 January 76 – 10 July 138) wasRoman Emperorfrom 117 to 138.
He is well known for buildingHadrian's Wall,which marked the northern limit of Roman territory inBritain.In Rome, he built thePantheon,Castel Sant'Angelo (originally Hadrian's Tomb) and theTemple of Venus and Roma.[2]
In addition to being emperor, Hadrian was ahumanistand a lover ofGreekculture in all his tastes. Hadrian was the third of the so-calledFive Good Emperors.[3]
Hadrian was born to a Hispano-Roman family, probably inItalica(nearSeville). His predecessorTrajanwas a maternal cousin of Hadrian's father.[4]Trajan never officially designated an heir, but according to his wifePompeia Plotina,Trajan named Hadrian emperor immediately before his death. Trajan's wife and his friendLicinius Surawere well-disposed towards Hadrian, and he may well have owed his succession to them.[5]
During his reign, Hadrian traveled to nearly every province of the empire. Hadrian sought to makeAthensthe cultural capital of the empire: he ordered the construction of many temples in the city.
During his travels, Hadrian met a common-born young man namedAntinous,who became his favourite and probable lover. In 130, when travelling through Egypt and sailing on the Nile, Antinous drowned. Hadrian grieved his loss deeply,[6]and did much to preserve his memory, including founding the city of Antinoöpolis and asking the Greeks to diefy Antinous.
Hadrian spent much of his time with the military. He usually wore military attire, and dined and slept amongst the soldiers. He ordered military training and drilling to be more rigorous and even made use of false reports of attack to keep the army alert. Despite his fondness for the army, there was little military activity throughout the empire while Hadrian reigned. After he became emperor, Hadrian withdrew from Trajan's conquests inMesopotamiaandArmenia,and even considered abandoningDacia.Late in his reign, he stopped theBar Kokhba revoltinJudaea,renaming the provinceSyria Palaestina.
In 136 an ailing Hadrian adoptedLucius Aeliusas his heir, but he died suddenly two years later. In 138, Hadrian promised to adoptAntoninus Piusif he would in turn adoptMarcus Aureliusand Aelius' sonLucius Verusas his own eventual successors. Antoninus agreed, and soon afterward Hadrian died at his villa nearTibur.
References
[change|change source]- ↑As emperor his name wasImperator Caesar Divi Traiani filius Traianus Hadrianus Augustus.
- ↑Anthony Everitt 2009.Hadrian and the triumph of Rome.Random House, N.Y.
- ↑Birley, Anthony R. 1997.Hadrian: the restless emperor.London: Routledge.ISBN0-415-16544-X.
- ↑Eutr. VIII. 6:"...nam eum (Hadrianum) Traianus, quamquam consobrinae suae filium..." andSHA,Vita Hadr.I, 2:...pater Aelius Hadrianus cognomento Afer fuit, consobrinus Traiani imperatoris.
- ↑After A.M. Canto, inUCM.es,specifically pp. 322, 328, 341 and footnote 124, where she stands out SHA,Vita Hadr.1.2:pro filio habitus(years 93); 3.2:ad bellum Dacicum Traianum familiarius prosecutus est(year 101) or, principally, 3.7:quare adamante gemma quam Traianus a Nerva acceperat donatus ad spem successionis erectus est(year 107).
- ↑Historia Augusta (c. 395) Hadr. 14.5–7. "During a journey on the Nile he lost Antinous, his favourite, and for this youth he wept like a woman. Concerning this incident there are varying rumours; for some claim that he had devoted himself to death for Hadrian, and others – what both his beauty and Hadrian's sensuality suggest. But however this may be, the Greeks deified him at Hadrian's request, and declared that oracles were given through his agency, but these, it is commonly asserted, were composed by Hadrian himself."