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Hadrianus













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HADRIANUS (Publius Aelius), born at Rome, according to some; according to others, at Italica, a colonial city of Spain, where his family, originally of Hadria in Italy, was established from the time of the Scipios - that is to say, from about two centuries before Christ. His father was Aelius Hadrianus Afer, his mother Domitia Paulina; and he was born in A.D.76 (year of Rome 829) on the 9th of February. Losing his father at the age of ten, he was placed under the guardship of Trajan, his cousin and fellow countryman (afterwards emperor), at that time holding the office of pretor. After discharging the first offices usually conferred upon a youth, he was sent into Maesia; and having subsequently set out to greet Trajan, as the new Caesar by adoption, and to convey to him the congratulations of the army, he was ordered to remain in Germania Superiror. Being from the first a great favourite with Trajan, on account if his handsome person and captivating manners, he afterwards drew closer the bonds of friendship by marrying (it is not known in what year) the emperor's niece Sabina, daughter of Marciana; and thus opened the path to his future greatness. In 854 (A.D. 101), he became questor, and at the expiration of that office, followed Trajan to the Dacian war. --- In 858 (105) he was tribune of the plebs; and having, about the same epoch, entered upon another campaign in Dacia, he was appointed to the command of Legio I. Minervia; and gave signal proofs of his valour. At the termination of this war, he celebrated games at Rome, with great magnificence, as pretor. After this he was sent as pro-pretor into Pannonia Inferior, where he defeated the Sarmatians, and earned his consulate; which, however, was not of the ordinary kind, but by substitution (sufectus). This consulate took place in A.D.109. Growing more and more in favour with Trajan, he was appointed, as legatus, to conduct the war then impending with Parthia.
 In A.D.117, when Trajan was preparing to return from the East, due to ill-health, he left Hadrian the command of the army in Syria, after the latter had been nominated, at the instigation of Plotina, as consul for the ensuing year. Shortly afterwards Trajan died at Selinus in Cilicia and Hadrian, by virtue of letters of adoption which were signed by Plotina and forwarded to Rome, took the title of Augustus at Antioch without waiting for Senatorial confirmation. It was on the fifth day before the ides of August that Hadrian received his letters of adoption, and henceforth kept that day as his birthday by adoption.
 On the third day before the ides of August, the death of Trajan was publicly announced, and this was afterwards reckoned as the natal day of Hadrian's reign. In the same year Hadrian withdrew the legions from Armenia, Assyria and Mesopotamia, giving as his reason for doing so, the difficulty of keeping those regions under subjugation and fixing the Euphrates as the eastern boundary of the Empire. He sent the ashes of Trajan to Rome and in the same year, from August to January, he was elected consul for the first time.
 In A.D.118 Hadrian made his public entry into Rome, paid divine honours to Trajan and whilst consul for the second time he remitted to the people all debts due to taxation.
 In A.D.119 Hadrian was consul for the third and last time and was victorious over the Sarmatians through his lieutenants.
 In circa A.D.120 Hadrian commenced his tour through the different provinces of the Empire, visiting first the Galliae, and then Germania.
 In A.D.121 he crossed the channel into Britain, where he began the construction of a wall from one sea to the other to keep the Caledonian tribes within bounds. He then returned to Gaul and proceeded to Spain.
 A.D.123. It is uncertain in wwhich direction Hadrian went on leaving Spain, but it is possible that he spent a portion of this year in Greece at Athens.
 In A.D.124 he is believed to have  journeyed into Asia, making an inspection of its provinces.
 In A.D.125, after having visited the islands of the Archipelago, he returned to Athens and, it is thought, then made a voyage to Sicily.
 A.D.127. It is uncertain where he went this year but it is supposed that he returned from Sicily and journeyed to Rome.
 In A.D.128 Hadrian accepted the title of Pater Patriae and conferred the title of Augusta on to his wife, Sabina.


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Hadrianus













Please |help| us convert the |Dictionary of Roman Coins| from scans to text by typing the original text here. Please add updates or make corrections to the NumisWiki text version as appropriate.


HADRIANUS (Publius Aelius), born at Rome, according to some; according to others, at Italica, a colonial city of Spain, where his family, originally of Hadria in Italy, was established from the time of the Scipios - that is to say, from about two centuries before Christ. His father was Aelius Hadrianus Afer, his mother Domitia Paulina; and he was born in A.D.76 (year of Rome 829) on the 9th of February. Losing his father at the age of ten, he was placed under the guardship of Trajan, his cousin and fellow countryman (afterwards emperor), at that time holding the office of pretor. After discharging the first offices usually conferred upon a youth, he was sent into Maesia; and having subsequently set out to greet Trajan, as the new Caesar by adoption, and to convey to him the congratulations of the army, he was ordered to remain in Germania Superiror. Being from the first a great favourite with Trajan, on account if his handsome person and captivating manners, he afterwards drew closer the bonds of friendship by marrying (it is not known in what year) the emperor's niece Sabina, daughter of Marciana; and thus opened the path to his future greatness. In 854 (A.D. 101), he became questor, and at the expiration of that office, followed Trajan to the Dacian war. --- In 858 (105) he was tribune of the plebs; and having, about the same epoch, entered upon another campaign in Dacia, he was appointed to the command of Legio I. Minervia; and gave signal proofs of his valour. At the termination of this war, he celebrated games at Rome, with great magnificence, as pretor. After this he was sent as pro-pretor into Pannonia Inferior, where he defeated the Sarmatians, and earned his consulate; which, however, was not of the ordinary kind, but by substitution (sufectus). This consulate took place in A.D.109. Growing more and more in favour with Trajan, he was appointed, as legatus, to conduct the war then impending with Parthia.
 In A.D.117, when Trajan was preparing to return from the East, due to ill-health, he left Hadrian the command of the army in Syria, after the latter had been nominated, at the instigation of Plotina, as consul for the ensuing year. Shortly afterwards Trajan died at Selinus in Cilicia and Hadrian, by virtue of letters of adoption which were signed by Plotina and forwarded to Rome, took the title of Augustus at Antioch without waiting for Senatorial confirmation. It was on the fifth day before the ides of August that Hadrian received his letters of adoption, and henceforth kept that day as his birthday by adoption.
 On the third day before the ides of August, the death of Trajan was publicly announced, and this was afterwards reckoned as the natal day of Hadrian's reign. In the same year Hadrian withdrew the legions from Armenia, Assyria and Mesopotamia, giving as his reason for doing so, the difficulty of keeping those regions under subjugation and fixing the Euphrates as the eastern boundary of the Empire. He sent the ashes of Trajan to Rome and in the same year, from August to January, he was elected consul for the first time.
 In A.D.118 Hadrian made his public entry into Rome, paid divine honours to Trajan and whilst consul for the second time he remitted to the people all debts due to taxation.
 In A.D.119 Hadrian was consul for the third and last time and was victorious over the Sarmatians through his lieutenants.
 In circa A.D.120 Hadrian commenced his tour through the different provinces of the Empire, visiting first the Galliae, and then Germania.
 In A.D.121 he crossed the channel into Britain, where he began the construction of a wall from one sea to the other to keep the Caledonian tribes within bounds. He then returned to Gaul and proceeded to Spain.
 A.D.123. It is uncertain in wwhich direction Hadrian went on leaving Spain, but it is possible that he spent a portion of this year in Greece at Athens.
 In A.D.124 he is believed to have  journeyed into Asia, making an inspection of its provinces.
 In A.D.125, after having visited the islands of the Archipelago, he returned to Athens and, it is thought, then made a voyage to Sicily.
 A.D.127. It is uncertain where he went this year but it is supposed that he returned from Sicily and journeyed to Rome.
 A.D.128 Hadrian accepted the title of Pater Patriae and conferred the title of Augusta on to his wife, Sabina.
 A.D.129 - It is inferred from the proceedings of the following year, when he visited Egypt, that at the end of this year the emperor was in Arabia. That he went there from Syria, Eckhel gathers from Dion and from the coins of Gaza, which established in A.D.130 a fresh aera in honour of his visit. A temple of Rome, and another of Venus, were built there in memory of the same event. The succeeding year Hadrian returned from Egypt into Syria.


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