#hadrian1900

Five years ago, I was invited to write an essay about my Following Hadrian project for the Studies in Late Antiquity journal (SLA, University of California Press). #Hadrian1900 #Hadrian1950
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24 January AD 126 – A small Serapeum is consecrated in Thebes to Hadrian on his 50th birthday (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN On January 24, AD 126, Emperor Hadrian celebrated his 50th birthday. This event was marked by the dedication of a small temple to the god Serapis (Serapeum) in the forecourt of the Luxor Temple (Ro…

24 January AD 126 – A small Serapeum is consecrated in Thebes to Hadrian on his 50th birthday #Hadrian1900
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Perhaps #OnThisDay in AD 117, Hadrian left Antioch for Rome "by way of Illyricum" (HA Hadr. 5.10). Epigraphy tells us that he reached Mopsucrene in Cilicia on October 13.

I retraced Hadrian's journey in July 2017 as part of my #Hadrian1900 project.
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As we celebrate the 1908th anniversary of Hadrian's accession to the imperial throne, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the late Anthony R. Birley, whose fabulous 1997 biography of Hadrian guides my #Hadrian1900 project! 13 more years to go!
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Late Spring AD 125 – Hadrian visits Sicily to climb Mount Etna and returns to Rome (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN In the late spring of AD 125, after visiting Delphi and possibly spending some time in Dyrrachium (see here), Hadrian set sail to return to Rome, having completed a four-year journey across the wes…

Late Spring AD 125 – Hadrian visits Sicily to climb Mount Etna and returns to Rome #Hadrian1900
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Spring AD 125 – Hadrian travels to Boeotia and Phocis and visits Delphi (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN Four years had passed since Hadrian last saw Rome, and it was time for him to return home. In the spring of AD 125, the Emperor departed from Athens and began his journey northward to the Adriatic …

Spring AD 125 – Hadrian travels to Boeotia and Phocis and visits Delphi #Hadrian1900
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Late March AD 125 – Hadrian returns to Athens and presides over the Great Dionysia (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN 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. He presided over this annual Athenian religiou…

Late March AD 125 – Hadrian returns to Athens and presides over the Great Dionysia #Hadrian1900
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Winter AD 124/5 – Hadrian tours the Peloponnese (part 2) and visits Sparta and Corinth (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN Hadrian spent much of the winter of 124/125 touring the Peloponnese, visiting all the major cities and providing benefactions to them. The first part of his journey took him to Megara, Athens&#8217…

Winter AD 124/5 – Hadrian tours the Peloponnese (part 2) and visits Sparta and Corinth #Hadrian1900
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Winter AD 124/5 – Hadrian tours the Peloponnese (part 1) and visits Megara, Argos and Mantineia (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN After attending the Eleusinian Mysteries (see here), Hadrian embarked on a brief tour of the Peloponnese with his wife, Sabina. The Emperor’s presence in several renowned cities during this p…

Winter AD 124/5 – Hadrian tours the Peloponnese (part 1) and visits Megara, Argos and Mantineia #hadrian1900
followinghadrian.com/2025/02/26/w...

Autumn AD 124 – Hadrian arrives in Athens and attends the Eleusinian Mysteries (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN Eleven years had passed since Hadrian last visited Athens. During his stay there, in his mid-thirties, he became an Athenian citizen, enrolled in the tribe of Besa, and served as archon (IG II² 202…

Autumn AD 124 – Hadrian arrives in Athens and attends the Eleusinian Mysteries #Hadrian1900
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Summer AD 124 – Hadrian tours Asia (part 3), visits Smyrna and Ephesus and sails to Athens (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN After Pergamon and Sardis (see here), two other great cities of western Asia had their turn to receive Hadrian and his party, Smyrna and Ephesus. Both metropoleis were perennial rivals, competing w…

Summer AD 124 – Hadrian tours Asia (part 3), visits Smyrna and Ephesus and sails to Athens
#Hadrian1900
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Summer AD 124 – Hadrian tours Asia (part 2) and visits Pergamon and Sardis (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN In the summer of 124, Hadrian continued his journey through the province of Asia, heading south to visit the great cities of Pergamon, Sardis, Smyrna and Ephesus. From Hadrianotherae, where the Emp…

Summer AD 124 – Hadrian tours Asia (part 2) and visits Pergamon and Sardis #Hadrian1900
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Summer AD 124 – Hadrian tours Asia (part 1), visits Cyzicus and Troy and hunts a she-bear (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN In the late spring of AD 124, Hadrian departed from Thrace (see here) and travelled back to Asia Minor, this time to the Roman province of Asia. He was accompanied by the sophist Polemon (Marcus An…

Summer AD 124 - Hadrian tours Asia (part 1), visits Cyzicus and Troy and hunts a she-bear #Hadrian1900
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Spring AD 124 – Hadrian visits Thrace and founds Hadrianopolis (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN After touring the province of Bithynia, where Hadrian may have first encountered Antinous (see here), the Emperor crossed the Sea of Marmara to Thrace. Accompanying him was the renowned sophist and…

Spring AD 124 – Hadrian visits Thrace and founds Hadrianopolis #Hadrian1900
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Early AD 124 – Hadrian spends the winter in Nicomedia, tours Bithynia and “meets” Antinous (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN After sailing along the southern Black Sea coast, possibly visiting the Pontic towns of Amisus, Sinope and Amastris (see here), Hadrian is thought to have spent the winter of 123/4 in Nicomedia or …

Early AD 124 – Hadrian spends the winter in Nicomedia, tours Bithynia and “meets” Antinous #Hadrian1900
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Autumn AD 123 – Hadrian reaches Trapezus and sails westwards along the Pontic coast (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN After his inspection tour of the eastern frontier provinces (see here), Hadrian travelled through the Pontic mountains to the Black Sea port of Trapezus (present-day Trabzon), the northernmost end …

Autumn AD 123 – Hadrian reaches Trapezus and sails westwards along the Pontic coast #Hadrian1900
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June AD 123 – Hadrian returns to the East and inspects the frontiers of northern Syria and Cappadocia (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN After spending the winter of AD 122/3 in Tarraco (see here), Hadrian left Spain and set sail for Antioch and the Euphrates frontier, probably reaching his destination in June 123. According to a dr…

June AD 123 – Hadrian returns to the East and inspects the frontiers of northern Syria and Cappadocia #Hadrian1900
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Winter AD 122/3 – Hadrian stays in Tarraco and rebuilds the Temple of Augustus (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN Having returned to Gaul from Britain (see here), Hadrian made the only known visit to his native land as emperor during the winter of AD 122/3. He took up his residence at Tarraco (Tarragona), Rome…

Winter AD 122/3 – Hadrian stays in Tarraco and rebuilds the Temple of Augustus #Hadrian1900
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Autumn AD 122 – Hadrian returns to Gaul and commemorates his horse and Plotina (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN In late AD 122, Hadrian departed from Britain and sailed towards Gaul. He travelled southwards to Nemausus (Nîmes) in Narbonensis before crossing the Pyrenees and arriving in Spain. His journey wou…

Autumn AD 122 – Hadrian returns to Gaul and commemorates his horse and Plotina #Hadrian1900
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Summer AD 122 – Hadrian inspects the northern frontiers: part 5 Britannia (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN After a lengthy inspection tour on the Rhine and Danube frontiers, Hadrian arrived in Britannia in the summer of 122 with his friend Aulus Platorius Nepos, the man chosen to be the new governor of …

Summer AD 122 – Hadrian inspects the northern frontiers: part 5 Britannia #Hadrian1900
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Spring AD 122 – Hadrian inspects the northern frontiers: part 4 Germania Inferior (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN In 122, perhaps in late spring, Hadrian returned from the Danube to the Rhine. The last stage of his journey along the German frontier before moving to Britannia would have taken him down the Rhine…

Spring AD 122 – Hadrian inspects the northern frontiers: part 4 Germania Inferior #Hadrian1900
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Winter AD 121/2 – Hadrian inspects the northern frontiers: part 3 Noricum (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN At some stage during his inspections of the northern military borders and fortifications, Hadrian was in the province of Noricum. The evidence for this visit derives from coins celebrating his offi…

Winter AD 121/2 – Hadrian inspects the northern frontiers: part 3 Noricum #Hadrian1900
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Winter AD 121/2 – Hadrian inspects the northern frontiers: part 2 Raetia (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN After Hadrian inspected the military forces and installations in Germania Superior (see here), the Emperor visited the limes and the army troops of the neighbouring province of Raetia, now part of …

Winter AD 121/2 – Hadrian inspects the northern frontiers: part 2 Raetia #Hadrian1900
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Winter AD 121/2 – Hadrian inspects the northern frontiers: part 2 Raetia (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN After Hadrian inspected the military forces and installations in Germania Superior (see here), the Emperor visited the limes and the army troops of the neighbouring province of Raetia, now part of …

Winter AD 121/2 – Hadrian inspects the northern frontiers: part 2 Raetia #Hadrian1900
followinghadrian.com/2022/02/28/w...

Winter AD 121/2 – Hadrian inspects the northern frontiers: part 1 Germania Superior (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN In the year AD 121, Hadrian left Rome and set off on an ambitious tour of the western provinces. His first intended destination was the German frontier (limes), which he probably reached in the aut…

Winter AD 121/2 – Hadrian inspects the northern frontiers: part 1 Germania Superior #Hadrian1900
followinghadrian.com/2021/11/03/w...

Spring AD 121 – Hadrian departs for the northern provinces (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN Shortly after celebrating Rome’s birthday (see here), Hadrian departed on his journey to the northern provinces and began his first extensive voyage through the empire. As he intended to be a…

Spring AD 121 – Hadrian departs for the northern provinces #Hadrian1900
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What comes next? I will follow Hadrian's second and longest journey, which occurred between AD 128 and 134. There's also a short trip to the Po Valley in Italy in 127. #Hadrian1900

My journey retracing Hadrian's first voyage began in Massalia (Marseille), southern Gaul’s main port, in 2021, and ended in Sicily, on the slopes of Mount Etna, in 2025. #Hadrian1900

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Voyage of Hadrian in 121-125. Map created by Simeon Netchev for World History Encyclopedia and Following Hadrian (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Voyage of Hadrian 121-123. Map created by Simeon Netchev for Following Hadrian (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Hadrian’s journey in 123-125. Map created by Simeon Netchev for Following Hadrian (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

Hadrian’s Journey through Achaea in AD 124-125. Map created by Simeon Netchev for Following Hadrian (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).

After four incredible years, my journey retracing Hadrian's first voyage (AD 121–125) is complete! From Britain to Antioch, Athens, Ephesus, and Etna, I've followed the emperor's steps across the empire. Thanks to all who followed along! #Hadrian1900
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Late Spring AD 125 – Hadrian visits Sicily to climb Mount Etna and returns to Rome (#Hadrian1900) FOLLOWING HADRIAN In the late spring of AD 125, after visiting Delphi and possibly spending some time in Dyrrachium (see here), Hadrian set sail to return to Rome, having completed a four-year journey across the wes…

[New Post] Late Spring AD 125 - Hadrian visits Sicily to climb Mount Etna and returns to Rome #Hadrian1900
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