Hadrian (Publius Aelius Hadrianus Augustus) was Roman Emperor 117-138. Hadrian was the son of the Roman Senator Publius Aelius Hadrianus Afer, who moved to Italy and married Domitia Paulina. When the future Emperor was ten years old, he lost his father. Adrian was brought up under the tutelage of his uncle, the Emperor Trajan, whose granddaughter he married.
He participated in wars with Dacia, was twice awarded for courage and was elected to the Senate. In 108 he became a consul. A few years later he fought in Armenia and Mesopotamia, legate at the headquarters of Trajan. When in 117, the governor of Syria was sent to Dacia to settle the riots there, Hadrian was appointed to replace him, which gave him command over the troops.
Trajan, seriously ill by that time, decided to return to Rome. The dying Trajan wanted to adopt Adrian, but since the document was signed by his wife, it is assumed that Trajan was already dead by this time. Adrian learned of Trajan’s death on August 11, 117. The Syrian legions proclaimed him Emperor, but he was forced to stay for a while in Syria because it was required by the complicated situation that developed there.
Hadrian’s policies were very different from the aggressive principles that Trajan ad pursued. First of all, he abandoned Assyria and Mesopotamia, returning them to the Parthians. He also withdrew from Armenia; and it was then considered only a protectorate of Rome. Having solved all the problems in the East, the emperor left Antioch in the autumn of 117. But he went not to Rome, but to the lower reaches of the Danube, where it was necessary to fight in Dacia. Hadrian appeared in Rome in the summer of 118. He was greeted with great pomp. In addition to the traditional magnificent spectacle, they also arranged a posthumous entrance to Trajan, whose statue stood on a chariot.
In the capital, Adrian stayed for three years. After that, he set out on his first trip to Gaul, and the provinces along the upper Rhine and the Danube. In the triangle between these rivers, the emperor strengthened the fortifications. The following year, he went to Britain, where work began on the construction of the wall of Hadrian. In 122, the Emperor returned to Gaul. Hadrian spent year 122 to 123 in Spain, from where he went to Africa, to Mauritania. There, he received news of the threat of war with Parthia and he hurried to the scene. Hadrian managed to defuse the situation by negotiation, but he remained there until the year 124. He visited Antioch and Palmyra. In 124, the emperor toured the Balkan provinces of Rome. In the winter of 124/125, Adrian decided to spend his time in Athens. In Italy, Hadrian returned through Sicily, where he ascended the Etna volcano, from where he admired the sunset. In Rome, the Emperor remained until the summer of 128, and then again went to Africa. In Numidia, he inspected the military camp and learned the teachings of infantry and cavalry. Then through Asia Minor went to Syria, where he climbed Mount Cassius, whence again admiring the sunset. In 130, he visited Jerusalem, which lay in ruins since the year 70. Then the path of the Emperor lay to Egypt. The return journey ran through Syria and Asia Minor. And when Adrian was going from Athens to go to Rome, he received the news of a new uprising of the Jews, which was suppressed with great difficulty.
The new emperor paid special attention to the economic development of the provinces. Throughout the country, theaters, libraries, and cities were decorated with many statues. Hadrian highly respected the Greek culture, encouraging art, poetry, and philosophy. The Emperor decorated his beloved city of Athens with many magnificent buildings, among which, for example, was the temple of Zeus of Olympus. He also sowed interest for strengthening the northwestern borders of Germany and Britain. In Italy, he completed the project of draining a Lake, begun by Claudius. Italy was divided into 4 parts, with four imperial consuls, only Romans were appointed to government posts.
The last major event of Hadrian’s life was the codification of Roman law, conducted in conjunction with lawyer Salvia Julian. In 138, the Emperor became very ill. Suffering from his illness, he took too strong a dose of medicine, and died on July 10, 138, leaving the successor the adopted Antoninus Pius.
Under Hadrian, a powerful defensive fortification system was built. Part of the legions became more and more fixed on the borders, becoming less mobile. The legions began to mobilize the local residents of the provinces, who were still considered barbarians.In addition, a new light unit, consisting of the local militia, appeared. The share of immigrants from Italy in the army declined.
The rule of Hadrian passed calmly, with the exception of small border conflicts. The main military campaign of Adrian was the suppression of the Jewish uprising of years 131-135. Tribesmen from Egypt and Libya joined the rebels in Palestine. For a long time, the Roman army could not win. The rebels captured Jerusalem, fortified many fortresses and hills. Avoiding major battles, Rome surrounded and destroyed one fortress after another. As a result, Jerusalem was captured and destroyed, and the leader of the rebels was executed.
The greatest love of Hadrian was undoubtedly Antinous. Adrian met Antinous in 124 when he journeyed to the province of Bithynia in the northeast of Asia Minor. Since 128, the boy was persistently under the Emperor. In 130, when they were in Egypt, Antinous drowned in the Nile. The circumstances of the tragedy were mysterious; and paved the way for many rumors. It is well known that Adrian was inconsolable; and he ordered the priests to deify Antinous. At the site of the death, Hadrian founded the city of Antinopolis, where every year games were held in honor of the young god. The cult of Antinous spread throughout the Empire; he was the last god of the ancient world, who received many curses from early Christians.
Sources:
- FF Zelinsky “The Roman Empire”
- “Scriptores Historiae Augustae”
- Birley, Anthony R. Hadrian. The restless emperor
- Speller, Elizabeth. The following Hadrian