Hadrian's Footprint on Ancient Rome
This Emperor Left Enduring Landmarks in Rome, Italy & the Empire
Hadrian was emperor for twenty-one years (C.E. 117-138) and, in that span, he left a legacy which seems like a lost golden age. It included architectural wonders of the world, like:
- the Pantheon;
- a villa at Tivoli that was a travelogue showpiece;
- a mausoleum by the Tiber that became a fortress for Popes;
- and a military wall bearing his name to separate Roman Britain from the Scots.
He was erudite (nicknamed The Greek), well-traveled with an appreciation for the empire, and one who believed he should improve the lot of his subjects. He left libraries, aqueducts, and more humane laws. In fact, Edward Gibbon, author of a tome on the Roman Empire, called Hadrian’s reign the happiest era of human history.
Rome's Architectural Wonder
Hadrian built the Pantheon itself but he humbly recognized the person who built an earlier structure on site with the inscription, Agrippa fecit, below the pediment. The dome and its oculus of light inspired the Renaissance architects- Brunelleschi of Florence's dome and Michaelangelo of St. Peter's. Even Washington's Capitol dome is symbolic of democratic inclusion and reminiscent of Hadrian's attempt at a Greek parliament, the Panhellenion.
Also Italian royalty is buried in the Pantheon and their remains provoke political hankerings. Rome never fancied kings (ever since the Etruscan Tarquin the Proud) but Victor Emmanuel, the father of modern Italy is revered here and his daughter-in-law Margherita apparently has a pizza named after her.
To this day many, including Rick Steves, call the Pantheon neighbourhood "the Heart of Rome".
Hadrian's Italian Gems
Hadrian built two structures outside of Rome proper- his sprawling villa in Tivoli, and his mausoleum beyond the walls of old Rome, as was the custom.
Hadrian's Villa was a 300 acre retreat for the emperor, a veritable Versailles where he ruled the empire away from Rome. Inspired by his travels around the empire, especially Greek and Egyptian, hundreds of buildings fan out over the grounds. Declared a UNESCO site in 1999, and only properly dug as an archaeological site in the late 19th century, the villa had been plundered of its marble and statues since the 1500s by popes and cardinals, giving new meaning to the term "vandals".
Hadrian's Mausoleum, (the arched bridge giving access to it was also built by the emperor), was built to bury Hadrian and later emperors for over 100 years. In the Middle Ages, popes built a fortress on top of it, to which they retreated in times of duress and adorned it with fresco-painted loggia and prison cells. Legend has it that St. Michael appeared to Pope Gregory and hence it is also known as Castel Sant' Angelo. The cylindrical tomb/fortress has protected both the dead and living and it looks down on Rome affording wonderful views.
Pax Romana
Hadrian's reign was part of the Roman peace lasting 200 years until C.E. 180. Part of his contribution was stabilizing the Empire's northern borders, especially along the Danube and in Britannia. Britain's Hadrian's Wall stretched about 120 km or 75 miles and also was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987. In the end it was a useful as France's Maginot Line in stopping intruders to the empire but it did inspire W.H. Auden to write Roman Wall Blues.
Hadrian has inspired thinkers and artists over the centuries. Whether his time on earth indicates a lost Utopia is moot. At the very least, he left the world a better place then he found it. May our society claim the same.
Hadrian's Mausoleum
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Hadrian's Villa
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