Character+of+Hadrian

Cassius Dio 69.3-7:

62 Hadrian was a pleasant man to meet and he possessed a certain charm. 3 As regards birth Hadrian was the son of a man of senatorial rank, an ex-praetor, Hadrianus Afer by name. By nature he was fond of literary study in both the Greek and Latin languages, and has left behind a variety of prose writings as well as compositions in verse. 2 For his ambition was insatiable, and hence he practised all conceivable pursuits, even the most trivial; for example, he modelled and painted, and declared that there was nothing pertaining to peace or war, to imperial or private life, of which he was not cognizant. 3 All this, of course, did people no harm; but his jealousy of all who excelled in any respect was most terrible and caused the downfall of many, besides utterly destroying several. For, inasmuch as he wished to surpass everybody in everything, he hated those who attained eminence in any direction. 4 It was this feeling that led him to undertake to overthrow two sophists, Favorinus the Gaul, and Dionysius of Miletus, by various methods, but chiefly by elevating their antagonists, who were of little or no worth at all. 5 Dionysius is said to have remarked then to Avidius Heliodorus, who had had charge of the emperor's correspondence: "Caesar can give you money and honour, but he cannot make you an orator." 6 And Favorinus, who was about to plead a case before the emperor in regard to exemption from taxes, a privilege which he desired to secure to his native land, suspected that he should be unsuccessful and receive insults besides, and so merely entered the court-room and made this brief statement: "My teacher stood beside me last night in a dream and bade me serve my country, as having been born for her."

4 Now Hadrian spared these men, displeased as he was with them, for he could find no plausible pretext to use against them for their destruction. But he first banished and later put to death Apollodorus, the architect, who had built the various creations of [|Trajan] in Rome — the forum, the odeum and the gymnasium. 2 The reason assigned was that he had been guilty of some misdemeanour; but the true reason was that once when Trajan was consulting him on some point about the buildings he had said to Hadrian, who had interrupted with some remark: "Be off, and draw your gourds. You don't understand any of these matters." (It chanced that Hadrian at the time was pluming himself upon some such drawing.) 3 When he became emperor, therefore, he remembered this slight and would not endure the man's freedom of speech. He sent him the plan of the temple of Venus and Roma by way of showing him that a great work could be accomplished without his aid, and asked Apollodorus whether the proposed structure was satisfactory. 4 The architect in his reply stated, first, in regard to the temple, that it ought to have been built on high ground and that the earth should have been excavated beneath it, so that it might have stood out more conspicuously on the Sacred Way from its higher position, and might also have accommodated the machines in its basement, so that they could be put together unobserved and brought into the theatre without anyone's being aware of them beforehand. Secondly, in regard to the statues, he said that they had been made too tall for the height of the cella. 5 "For now," he said, "if the goddesses wish to get up and go out, they will be unable to do so." When he wrote this so bluntly to Hadrian, the emperor was both vexed and exceedingly grieved because he had fallen into a mistake that could not be righted, and he restrained neither his anger nor his grief, but slew the man. 6 Indeed, his nature was such that he was jealous not only of the living, but also of the dead; at any rate he abolished Homer and introduced in his stead Antimachus, whose very name had previously been unknown to many.

5 Other traits for which people found fault with him were his great strictness, his curiosity and his meddlesomeness. Yet he balanced and atoned for these defects by his careful oversight, his prudence, his munificence and his skill; furthermore, he did not stir up any war, and he terminated those already in progress; and he deprived no one of money unjustly, while upon many — communities and private citizens, senators and knights — he bestowed large sums. 2 Indeed, he did not even wait to be asked, but acted in absolutely every case according to the individual needs. He subjected the legions to the strictest discipline, so that, though strong, they were neither insubordinate nor insolent; and he aided the allied and subject cities most munificently.3 He had seen many of them,— more, in fact, than any other emperor,— and he assisted practically all of them, giving to some a water supply, to others harbours, food, public works, money and various honours, differing the different cities.

6 He led the Roman people rather by dignity than by flattery. Once at a gladiatorial contest, when the crowd was demanding something very urgently, he not only would not grant it but further bade the herald proclaim Domitian's command, "Silence." 2 The word was not uttered, however, for the herald raised his hand and by that very gesture quieted the people, as heralds are accustomed to do (for crowds are never silenced by proclamation), and then, when they had become quiet, he said: "That is what he wishes." And Hadrian was not in the least angry with the herald, but actually honoured him for not uttering the rude order. 3 For he could bear such things, and was not displeased if he received aid either in an unexpected way or from ordinary men. At any rate, once, when a woman made a request of him as he passed by on a journey, he at first said to her, "I haven't time," but afterwards, when she cried out, "Cease, then, being emperor," he turned about and granted her a hearing. Questions: 1. Why is Hadrianus Afer important, besides being Hadrian's father? Hadrianus Afer served as a praetor and a senator, and paved the way for his son to become emperor later on, as he was cousin to the emperor Trajan. 2. What works did Hadrian leave behind? I was unable to find any of his works that were left behind, but I will continue to look for these. 3. Who are Favorinus the Gaul and Dionysus of Miletus? These are answered in the hyperlink 4. Who is Avidius Heliodorus? This is answered in the hyperlink 5. How was Hadrian strict and meddlesome? This question was not exactly answered. I have information about how he reformed the military, so it could come from that idea. 6. What are some examples of cities that Hadrian helped? Aeclanum, Italia got roadwork, Antioch got an aqueduct and baths, Athens got an aqueduct, a bridge, the Olympieion, a gymnasium, and a library. These are only a few examples, there was 3 pages full of cities that he had helped with temples, civil projects, and other things. 7. What were Hadrian's good qualities that are not mentioned? He was respectful to cities, he seemed to be rather giving or generous. 8.What were Hadrian's changes to the military? Hadrian changed the locations of forts and garrisons, he had them drilled for a variety of battle types, he removed all luxury from the officers of the military. He also limited the age group of people who could become centurion. "He would not award the vine-staff to anyone not bodily robust and of good reputation" (Birley, 119). He also combined the legions and auxiliary units, so Romans and non-Romans served in the same units. He also brought back a modification of the Phalanx tactic. Hadrian also focused on having the military guarding the borders of the Roman Empire, rather than having them expand the size of the empire like Trajan did. He also built many border fortifications, including [|Hadrian's Wall].

This document is important to Roman history because it shows the actions and character of one of the emperors. This can help give us an idea of how people received the position of emperor, along with what characteristics were valued by the people of Rome. Documents like these are also what help us learn and remember different people like Favorinus and Avidius Heliodorus. It allows us to look into the ideas and changes of an emperor which can help us see what the emperors deemed important, as well as seeing what the citizens of Rome deemed important. My research shows that Hadrian was a very restless and curious person, who interested ancient and modern writers, because there were not many emperors who did as many things as he did. He also paid a visit to almost every colony of the empire and he was one of the first emperors to do that, because many viewed the other areas as theirs to rule, but not to personally visit. I learned that he spent at least half of his life outside of Rome, whether it be visiting his birthplace or travelling to other colonies of the empire. Another thing that we can learn about, is some information about the military, because if he had to make his reforms and be more strict, that means that there was not as much strictness towards the military before this point which means there other emperors had not been as strict with the military as Hadrian was. We can see that while he was the most powerful man in Rome, people were still willing to argue with him, and this shows that he is not a god, but shows that he is a person, who can win an argument (and could have lost) to another orator. I learned that there were not many emperors that gave as much to the empire as Hadrian did, with his public works projects, the tax amnesty in 118, and all of his other projects. “The most remarkable of all the Roman Emperors…what has mainly impressed ancient writers as well as modern students is the man’s restless energy, ‘tramping at the head of his legions through his worldwide domains, and his insatiable curiosity’” (Birley, 1). This shows that he was a different emperor than many, because he made the effort to visit most if not all provinces, and that is something that few emperors attempted. While many may believe that learning about one emperor is not that useful, it can be more helpful because it shows a process and history that we may not always get to see. For example, Hadrian was adopted by his father's cousin Trajan when Trajan was on his deathbed, but many believe that it was a conspiracy and that Trajan's wife was behind the idea. This document also shows the kind of things that were done and fought over during the Roman Empire, because Hadrian killed Apollodorus because he made a joke and was not showing him complete respect. We also see how much Hadrian did for the Roman empire, and that is not always recognized. He helped many cities, worked to reform the legion, and multiple other tasks, showing his dedication to Rome and its people. <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">The writer of this piece is [|Cassius Dio], and he is one of the well-known historians during this time. He wrote a book on Roman History that cannot be matched by many, but unfortunately much of it is lost. He was alive after Hadrian was dead, so I cannot see any reason for bias in any of his writing, nor can I find any reason based on my research. <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;"> <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: georgia,serif; font-size: 18px; text-align: justify;">I have not found anything that shows Hadrian had a temper, but this document does show that he may have been a vengeful person, who did not like to be disrespected.

<span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: georgia,palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">Works Cited

<span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: georgia,palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">[] <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: georgia,palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">[] <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: georgia,palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">[] <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: georgia,palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">[] <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: georgia,palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">Birley, Anthony R. //Hadrian: The Restless Emperor//. London: Routledge, 1997. <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: georgia,palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;">Boatwright, Mary T. //Hadrian and the cities of the Roman Empire//. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000 <span style="color: #000066; display: block; font-family: georgia,palatino,serif; font-size: medium; text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Courier,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Sandler, Stanley. //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Courier,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">Ground Warfare: An International Encyclopedia //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: 'Times New Roman',Courier,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 12px;">. Vol. 1. N.p.: ABC-Clio, 2002. ** This is very good. One thing that may be beneficial is looking into the author of this article and seeing if he had any reason to be biased. That would help show the validity of the article. It would also be interesting to know whether, in the first paragraph, he is saying that Hadrian posed as a model or if modeling was a form of sculpting. Other than that this is great. -Ryan Hannah ** ** Very good overall. Your paragraph covers a lot. It really conveys that you researched Hadrian and his character. Only complaint is that you might want to go more into Trajan and talk about who he is. Maybe make a hyperlink or something. Apart from that it is very good. ** David Sammut

====** The summary was very enlightening on the topic of Hadrian and Roman society. A bit more on the military reforms of Hadrian might be a bit helpful, when compared to the other emperors involvement in military affairs. Also, did Hadrian have a bit of a temper, since he killed a person over a statement made on architecture. **====

Joshua Grow

Early Life of Claudius Early Life of Tiberius Early Life of Vespasian These three documents all relate to my document because it is useful to compare and contrast the different emperors, so that we can get a good glimpse of what individual emperors did or were like. This allows us to see what the Romans valued in emperors or did not like in emperors.