Discover and read the best of Twitter Threads about #Hadrian
Most recents (4)
You are a #Roman soldier born in province of Dalmatia (modern-day #Croatia). Most of your life you've spent on the Adriatic coast, in the warm Mediterranean climate. It is a paradise on Earth. And it is the heartland of the mighty #RomanEmpire.
Your life is about to change... /1
Your life is about to change... /1
Then, your emperor, great #Hadrian, commands you and your unit to move. Not to the East, where you could still enjoy all benefits of civilization. Or to Africa, also a place to be.
No, Hadrian dispatches you to the ends of the known world. To the cold and hostile Brittania /2
No, Hadrian dispatches you to the ends of the known world. To the cold and hostile Brittania /2
Precisely, you and your unit are sent to man the furthermost part of the northern frontier. To the Hadrian wall, which is nearing its completion. In the following decade, you will guard this remote outpost against the barbarian threat. /3
What a party outfit! This new speculative digital restoration is the Roman god #Mithras, from a 2nd c. AD Roman sculpture in the British Museum. I’ve used the fresco from the #Mithraeum in Capua as the inspiration for Mithras’ pseudo-Persian outfit. 1/ #tauroctony
The challenge was to interpret and render the colors and designs from the fresco in the #Mithraeum of S. Maria Capua Vetere onto the cult statue of #Mithras. The legging symbols: stars and planets, or rosettes and crowns? 2/
This sculpture is like many others from antiquity - it's had a restoration (19th c.). From documentation, I've been able to create this visual guide to the modern additions. That's why the head isn't *quite* right. Also, he looks too much like the boyish Ganymede. 3/
#RomanSiteSaturday - The Mausoleum of Hadrian 🏛️💀🏰
(1/7) Hadrian's Mausoleum, more commonly known today as Castel Sant'Angelo, is a stunning cylindrical building on the northern bank of the River Tiber in Rome, Italy.
#Classics #Archaeology #Hadrian #Rome #History
(1/7) Hadrian's Mausoleum, more commonly known today as Castel Sant'Angelo, is a stunning cylindrical building on the northern bank of the River Tiber in Rome, Italy.
#Classics #Archaeology #Hadrian #Rome #History
(2/7) The construction of this towering mausoleum began in the 120's CE, and it was not quite complete when Hadrian died aged 63 in 138. It was finished the following year by Antoninus Pius, and saw most of the Antonine and Severan imperial families deposited there.
(3/7) Stylistically, Hadrian's Mausoleum was a potent symbol of imperial power. Separated from much of the city across the Tiber, it was encased in white Italian luna marble, with an elaborate cornice and decorated friezes. It was topped with a garden and a golden quadriga.
Ancient Coin of the Day: an Aureus of Hadrian, ca. AD 134-138, with a design of Romulus on the Reverse with the Legend "ROMVLO CONDITORI", suggesting Hadrian's presentation of himself as a second founder of Rome. #ACOTD #Hadrian
Image: RIC II Hadrian 370
Image: RIC II Hadrian 370
In the latter years of his reign, Hadrian issued several coins and medallions that made a connection between himself and the founder of Rome. Also noteworthy here is the rejuvenated portrait of Hadrian, without the beard.
The simple Legend on the Obverse, "HADRIANVS AVGVSTVS P P" - 'Hadrian Augustus, Father of the Fatherland', also speaks towards a streamlining of message, perhaps to further connect him with the founder of the city.
