Hadrian: Empire and Conflict

by Thorsten Opper

Even in the panoply of Roman history, Hadrian stands out. Emperor from 117 to 138 ad, he was at once a benevolent ruler and a ruthless military leader, known for his restless and ambitious nature, his interest in architecture, and his passion for Greek culture. This book moves beyond the familiar image of Hadrian to offer a new appraisal of this Emperor’s contradictory personality, his exploits and accomplishments, his rule, and his military role, against the backdrop of his twenty-one-year reign. Lavishly illustrated with key works of art and objects, celebrated and little-known sculptures, bronzes, coins and medals, drawings, and watercolors from museums around the globe, the book conveys a vivid sense of the world Hadrian inhabited. Thorsten Opper shows the emperor from many angles—as a complex individual, as a military leader and strategist, as the amateur architect who created magnificent buildings such as his villa at Tivoli (an empire in miniature), as the lover who deified his male lover Antinous after his mysterious death in the Nile, and, finally, as the traveler who tirelessly roamed his empire and its boundaries. From his place in Roman history to his legacy, which even makes its way into the popular culture of our day, the Hadrian who emerges from these pages is no longer larger than life; rather, he has all the depth and complexity, the color and shadings and detail of life itself.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Ancient History, Research, Biography

224 pages, Hardcover

First published July 7, 2008

About the author

Thorsten Opper is a curator in the Department of Greek and Roman Antiquities at the British Museum. He has published work on ancient sculpture and eighteenth-century antiquarianism.

Reviews

[Briynne · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been looking forward to reading this ever since I came across the review for it in Choice when I was doing a little collection development recon for the humanities shelves in my library. It’s just so gorgeous to look at. It’s the size of a coffee-table book and loaded with beautiful, full-page color photography of Roman statues and artifacts. The book is a companion piece to an exhibit on Hadrian put on by the British Museum, so of course the actual history presented in the text is wonderful as well.

Hadrian was an interesting guy, who had the benefit of being Emperor in an very fortunate period of Roman history. He was, almost above anything, a military man; and the book highlights the various campaigns he was involved in or commanded with an interesting, but still comfortable, level of detail. Thankfully, this book understands its purpose and firmly relegates notes and citations to the appendix. There is a nice discussion on Hadrian’s various artistic endeavors and building projects which included public spaces, an impressive estate at Tivoli, and the mausoleum that forms the basis of Castel Sant’Angelo.

I found the chapters on the social aspects of Hadrian's life fascinating. From a modern perspective, he led a rather unconventional personal life which largely centered around the teenage Antinous. And it is remarkable, if a bit disconcerting, how utterly unremarkable it was to his peers. Or, I should say, how unremarkable it was to his peers until the boy died, Hadrian had him deified, and then attempted to assuage his grief by commissioning a flood of statues, coins, and other works of art bearing his image. At that point, they too found it unusual. His relationship with his wife, the Empress Sabina, was considerably cooler. They seem to have not been able to stand the sight of one another, even though they put on a proper show in public.

I probably wouldn’t have found the motivation to read this if it weren’t for the pretty pictures, but I’m glad they were there to entice me. This was a easily-read refresher on the history of Rome’s imperial glory days, and a great introduction to Hadrian as both a man and an Emperor.

[Elizabeth Theiss Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 2008 the British Museum had an exhibit on the Emperor Hadrian, a Roman ruler of the 2nd century AD. Opper's fascinating book is the catalog from the exhibit. Illustrated with artifacts from the Roman world, the book provides rich context for Hadrian's reign. Although I have read extensively about Hadrian, I learned much that was new to me.

[CLM]

This looks like a potential Christmas present for my mother, who is a big fan of Hadrian.

[Bizzaro! · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book about one of my favorite emperors. A vast collection of artifacts as well as interesting insight into the work that would have gone into making the Empire as Hadrian knew it.