FOLLOWING HADRIAN

I’m very pleased to share that I am one of thirteen contributors to the forthcoming volume, Portraits of Hadrian.

A rare marble inscription referring to a fulgur submanium, a nocturnal lightning strike attributed to Summanus, has been discovered at Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli.

In the mountains of Lycia, above the small city of Rhodiapolis, an extensive Greek inscription once ran along the walls of a tomb, recording in meticulous detail the generosity of a single man.

The year AD 126 opened under the consulships of Marcus Annius Verus and Gaius Eggius Ambibulus, marking the formal beginning of the civic year in Rome.

Happy 1950th birthday, Hadrian!

On January 24, AD 126, Emperor Hadrian celebrated his 50th birthday.

The ancient city of Perge, located on the coast of southern Asia Minor in the Roman province of Pamphylia, provides a fascinating case study of elite benefaction in the Roman East.

In late spring AD 125, after visiting Delphi and possibly spending time in Dyrrachium (see here), Hadrian set sail for Rome, having completed a four-year journey across the western and eastern provinces.

Four years had passed since Hadrian last saw Rome, and it was time for him to return home.

After touring the Peloponnese and visiting all the major cities (read here), Hadrian returned to Athens in late March, in time for the Great Dionysia.