Hadrian

Lore & Background

Hadrian was born in Italica, a Roman town in southern Spain, to a senatorial family. His father died when he was ten, and he became a ward of the future emperor Trajan. He pursued a military and political career, serving as military tribune, quaestor, praetor, and governor of Lower Pannonia, where he defeated an invasion by the Iazyges. He married Vibia Sabina, Trajan's grandniece, likely promoted by Trajan's wife Plotina. After Trajan's death in 117, Hadrian succeeded as emperor.

Reader's Guide

Hadrian's reign marked a shift from Trajan's expansionism to consolidation. He abandoned territories in Mesopotamia, Assyria, Armenia, and parts of Dacia, focusing on stable borders and unifying the empire's diverse peoples. He traveled extensively, overseeing building projects such as Hadrian's Wall, the Temple of Venus and Roma, and the Villa Adriana. His philhellenism led him to promote Athens as the cultural capital. His relationship with Antinous and the youth's death inspired a widespread cult. Late in his reign, he suppressed the Bar Kokhba revolt. His marriage was unhappy and childless; he adopted Antoninus Pius as successor. Despite opposition from the Senate, he was deified after death and later counted among the 'Five Good Emperors,' though his own Senate found him remote and authoritarian.

Did You Know?

• Hadrian had four leading senators unlawfully put to death early in his reign, earning the Senate's lifelong enmity.
• He rebuilt the Pantheon in Rome and constructed the vast Temple of Venus and Roma.
• His intense relationship with the Greek youth Antinous led to the establishment of a widespread cult after Antinous's death.
• Hadrian's wet nurse was a slave named Germana, probably of Germanic origin, whom he later freed and who outlived him.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"Hadrian (Publius Aelius Trajan Hadrian; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138." — Hadrian "Your lines were wanton but your heart was clean." — Hadrian "Animula vagula blandula, hospes comesque corporis, quae nunc abibis in loca, pallidula, rigida, nudula, nec ut soles dabis iocos?" — Hadrian "Dear fleeting sweeting, little soul, My body's comrade and its guest, What region now must be thy goal, Poor little wan, numb, naked soul, Unable, as of old, to jest?" — Hadrian