HYPERLINK http//www.ancient.eu/hadrian/ Hadrian Essay Example For Students

HYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/hadrian/ Hadrian Essay HYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/hadrian/Hadrian(76-138 CE)wasthefourteenthEmperorofHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/Rome/Rome(10 August 117to10July138 CE) and isknownasthethirdoftheFiveGoodEmperors( HYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/Nerva/Nerva,HYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/trajan/Trajan,Hadrian,HYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/Antoninus_Pius/AntoninusPius, andMarcus Aurelius)whoruledjustly.BornPubliusAeliusHadrianus,probablyinHispania,HadrianisbestknownforhissubstantialbuildingprojectsthroughouttheHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/Roman_Empire/RomanEmpireand,especially,HadriansWallinnorthernHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/britain/Britain. Asayoungman,HadrianwaswelleducatedinhishometownofItalicaHispania(moderndaySeville, Spain) andleftforRomearoundtheageof 14.Hisfirstmilitary servicewasasTribuneunderEmperorNerva.WhenNervadied,Trajanascendedtothethrone.EmperorTrajanwasthefirstHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/Roman/Romanrulerofprovincialorigin.LaterbiographerswouldattempttoplacethebirthofbothTrajanandHadrianinthecityofRomebutbothwereofHispanicethnicityandthiscommonalityhasbeenassumedbysometobethereasonforTrajansadoptionofHadrianashissuccessor(thoughmostscholarsdisputethis).TrajandiedoncampaigninHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/Cilicia/Ciliciain117 CE,withHadrianincommandofhisrearguard, and isnotbelievedtohavenamedasuccessor.Trajanswife,Plotina(whowasfond ofHadrian)signedthepapersofsuccessionanditisthoughtthatshe,nottheemperor,wasresponsibleforHadriansadoptionasheir.Howeverthatmaybe,itisknownthatTrajanrespectedHadrianand hadconsideredhimashissuccessorevenifhedidnotofficiallynamehimassuch.HadriansservicetoTrajaniswelldocume ntedthroughthevariousimportantpositionsheheldpriortobecomingemperorofRome. HispopularityasemperorisattestedtobythefactthatHadrianwasabsentfromRomeforthebetterpart ofhisreign.EarlierRomanrulers,suchasNero,wereharshlycriticizedforspendinglesstimeawayfromthecity. Professor D.BrendanNaglewritesthatHadrianspentmost ofhisreign(twelveout oftwenty-oneyears)travelingallovertheEmpirevisitingtheprovinces,overseeingtheadministration, andcheckingthedisciplineofthearmy. Hewasabrilliantadministratorwhoconcernedhimselfwithallaspectsofgovernmentandtheadministrationofjustice (278).Hisdevotiontothearmywassuchthathewouldsleepandeatamongthecommonsoldiersand he iscommonlydepictedinmilitaryattireeventhoughhisregimeismarkedbyrelativepeace. Hadriansbuildingprojectsareperhapshismostenduringlegacy. HeestablishedHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/cities/citiesthroughouttheBalkanPeninsula,HYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/egypt/Egypt,HYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/Asia_Minor/AsiaMinor, andHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/greece/Greece.HisloveforGreeceandHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/greek/GreekHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/literature/literaturewassuchthathewasknownasGraeculus (Greekling)inhisyouthandhisphilhellenismdidnotdissipatewithage. HevisitedGreeceatleasttwice(probablymore) andparticipatedintheEleusinianMysteries, ofwhichhewasaninitiate. TheArchofHadrian,constructedbythecitizensofHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/Athens/Athensin131/132 CE,honorHadrianasthefounderofthecity.InscriptionsonthearchnameTheseus(thetraditionalfounder)butaddHadrianowingtothelatterssubstantialcontributionstoAthens(suchastheHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/temple/TempleofHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/zeus/Zeus).HededicatedanumberofsitesinGreeceto hisyoungloverAntinous,whodrownedintheHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/nile/NileRiverin130 CE.HadrianwasdeeplyattachedtoAntinousandtheyoungmansdeathsogreatlyaffectedtheemperorthathehadhimdeified(fromwhichthemysterycultinhonorofAntinousgrew).InEgypthefoundedthecity ofAntinopolisinhismemory.InRomeherebuiltthePantheon(whichhadbeendestroyedbyfire) andTrajansForumaswellasfundingconstructionofotherbuildings,baths, andvillas.Manyofthesestructuressurvivedintactforcenturies,someaslateasthe19thcenturyCE, andthePantheon,stillperfectlypreserved,maybevisitedinthepresentday.Hadrianhad agreatinterestinarchitectureandseemstohavecontributedideas,orevenplans,tothearchitectsthoughscholarsnolongerbelievethathewastheleadarchitectonanysingleproject. HADRIANS WALL Ofallhissignificantmonumentsandbuildings,HadriansWallinnorthBritainisthemostfamous.Constructionofthewall,knowninantiquityasVallumHadriani,wasbegunaround122 CE andcorrespondedtoHadriansvisittotheprovince.ItmarkedthenorthernboundaryoftheRomanEmpireinBritainbutthelengthandbreadthoftheproject (stretching,asitdid,fromcoasttocoast)suggeststhatthemoreimportantpurposeofthewallwasa show ofRomespower. Thewallwasoriginally9.7feetwide(3metres) and 16-20feethigh(sixmetres)eastoftheRiverIrthing,allbuiltofstone, and 20feetwide(6metres)by11.feethigh(3.5metres)westoftheriver, madeupofstoneand turf,stretching73miles(120 km)acrossuneventerrain.ItwasbuiltinsixyearsbythelegionsstationedinBritain.Therewerebetween14-17fortificationsalongthelengthofthewalland aVallum(aditchpurposefullyconstructedofearthworks)whichranparalleltothewall. TheVallummeasured20feet(6metres)wideby10feet(3metres)deepflankedbylargemoundsoftightlypackedearth.AsHadriansforeignpolicywaspeacethroughstrengthitisthoughtthatt hewall,whichwasoriginallyplasteredandwhitewashed,wouldhaveclearlyrepresentedthemightoftheRomanEmpire. JERUSALEM AlthoughHadrianwasalearnedandcultivatedman,hispolicy ofpeacefulrelations andnegotiationswasnotalwaysadheredto.In130 CE,HadrianvisitedJerusalem,whichwasstillinruinsfromtheFirstRoman-JewishHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/war/Warof 66-73 CE. HerebuiltthecityaccordingtohisowndesignsandrenameditAeliaCapitolinaJupiterCapitolinusafterhimselfandthekingoftheRomangods.WhenhebuiltatempletoJupiterontheruinsoftheTempleofSolomon(theso-calledSecondTemple,consideredsacredbytheJews),thepopulaceroseupundertheleadershipof Simon barKokhbahinwhathascometobeknownasbarKokhbahsRevolt(132-136 CE).RomanlossesinthiscampaignwereenormousbutJewishlosseswerenolesssignificant.Bythetimetherebellionwasputdown, 580,000Jewshadbeenkilledand over 1000townsandvillagesdestroyed.HadrianthenbanishedtheremainingJewsfromtheregionandrenameditHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/syria/SyriaPalaestinaafterthetraditionalenemiesoftheJewishpeople,thePhilistines. HeorderedapublicburningoftheHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/Torah /Torah,executedtheJewishscholars, andprohibitedthepracticeandobservanceofJudaism. DEATH ; SUCCESSOR Hishealthnowfailing,HadrianreturnedtoRomeandoccupiedhimselfbyHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/writing/writingpoetryandtendingtoadministrativeaffairs. HenamedashissuccessorAntoninusPiusonthestipulationthatAntoninuswouldadopttheyoungMarcus Aureliustofollow.Hadriandiedin138 CE,presumablyof aheartattack,attheageof 62. HewasburiedfirstatPuteoli,onthegroundsoftheformerestateoftheRhetoricianCicero(ashomagetoHadrianslove oflearning)butwhenAntoninusPiuscompletedthegreatHYPERLINK http://www.ancient.eu/tomb/TombofHadrianinRomethefollowingyear,hisbodywascrematedandtheashesinterredtherewithhiswifeandson.AntoninusPius hadHadriandeifiedandtemplesbuiltinhishonor. ThehistorianGibbonwritesthatHadriansrulewas, theperiodinthehistoryoftheworldduringwhichtheconditionofthehumanracewasmost happy andprosperouswhenthevastextentoftheRomanEmpirewasgovernedbyabsolutepowerundertheguidanceofvirtueandwisdom (61).AlthoughHadrianwasnotuniversallyadmiredduringhislife,orsincehisdeath,hisreignisgeneral lyconsideredinkeepingwithGibbonsestimation.