Hadrian Tours the Roman World

The emperor Hadrian didn’t just build a wall across Britain! During a career that involved a “world tour” to pretty much every province of the Roman Empire, he rubbed elbows with provincial aristocrats; showered gifts on the cities of the empire; climbed a couple of mountains and hunted at least one big cat; hung out for years in Greece; murdered the odd senator; and loved, lost, and deified his cherished friend Antinous. (Maybe he even wore a toga while he travelled!) Listen as Emily and Cam hit the highlights of his career.Visit our homepage to subscribe, to find us on social media, and to contact us by email:https://havetogawilltravel.comIf you liked this episode, buy us a coffee:Our Ko-Fi pageLinks to other episodes we made that touch on Hadrian:Hadrian’s Wall, Part I: The Romans in Britain and the Imperial Frontier (the first of four episodes on Hadrian’s Wall)Thermae Romae: A Japanese Film about Ancient Roman Bathing—and Time Travel!Cover image adapted from a photo of a gold coin minted between 134 and 138 CE, depicting Hadrian in profile and bearing the legend “Hadrianus Augustus P(ater) P(atriae)” (Hadrian Augustus, Father of his Country). American Numismatic Society, Wikimedia Commons.----------00:10 - Introduction02:22 - Not Quite Emperor02:28 - Hadrian’s early life03:26 - Ward of Trajan04:55 - Domitian, Nerva, and Trajan’s path to imperial power05:57 - Hadrian’s career under Trajan during the Dacian Wars, the Parthian War, and the Rebellion of the Jewish diaspora09:24 - Trajan is dead, long live Hadrian11:23 - New Frontiers11:24 - Hadrian’s lack of interest in expanding the Roman Empire11:37 - Earlier emperors and wars of conquest12:08 - Hadrian abandons Trajan’s conquests13:16 - Hadrian, Nigrinus, and the execution of four senators14:53 - Hadrian’s World Tours15:02 - An inward focus15:41 - Hadrian tours the provinces (of a really big empire!)17:45 - Hadrian the intellectual: a conversation with Apollo’s oracle at Delphi about Homer19:33 - Hadrian the adventurer: lighting, lions, and bears, oh my!21:14 - Inspecting the army and securing the frontiers23:01 - Hadrian and imperial patronage: local elites, imperial benefactions, and loyalty26:47 - Antinous: a short digression27:06 - Antinous’ background27:48 - Antinous’ death and speculations about its cause29:07 - Hadrian’s grief, the deification of Antinous, and Antinous at Tivoli32:28 - The Olympian: Hadrian in Greece32:48 - Hadrian’s early fascination with Greek culture34:28 - Hadrian’s first trip to Greece: Athenian citizen, Eponymous Archon, and friends with Epictetus and Plutarch37:55 - Hadrian Reborn: the Emperor and the Eleusinian Mysteries41:52 – Hadrian’s plan for the Panhellenion and the Sanctuary of Zeus43:17 - Hadrian among the gods: Hadrianus Olympios, Hadrianus Panhellenios46:32 - Rebellion in Judaea46:54 - The Bar Kokhba Rebellion47:47 - Untangling the roots of the rebellion: a messianic movement?48:50 - Imperial plans and Judaean politics51:05 - Succession Crisis51:22 - Imperial succession in the Roman World52:24 - Hadrian’s potential successors54:19 - Two adoptions, a death, and two murders57:39 - Legacy60:42 - Wrap-up