2.   Born January 24, 76AD  Died of illness July 10, 138 AD  His father was a cousin of the emperor Trajan  Both Hadrian and Trajan were both natives of Italica (Modern day Spain)  He is also the first emperor to be dipicted with a full beard Brief Overview

3.  Hadrian's rise His first great opportunity came when nerva died and Trajan was appointed emperor During the second Dracian War Hadrian commanded the first legion ‘Minervia’ He was appointed as governor of the important province of syria in 107 AD

4.  Trajan never made it clear that Hadrian was going to be successor as emperor  Hadrian was appointed as Trajan successor when Trajan was on his death bed  If Hadrian’s goal was to rule as blamelessly as Trajan did, he did not begin his rule very well.  Even before he arrived in Rome his reputation had been tarnished by the deaths of four distinguished senators

5.   One of his first and most significant acts was the abandonment of the eastern territories that Trajan had conquered  During his rule Augustus laid down the policy that the empire should be kept within the natural borders formed by the Rhine, Danube and the Euphrates Hadrians Reign

6.  Hadrian Reign part 2 He took pains, more than any other roman emperor before or since to visit his vast territories in person One result of his northern journeys is Hadrian's wall He was a great builder specifically at Athens and Rome However his greatest architectural achievement was the extravagant country mansion he built for himself near Tivoli The jews revolted in AD 132 under the leadership od Simon Bar-Kochba Over half a million Jewish rebels were killed but by the end in 135 AD peace had been restored this was Hadrians only major war

7.  Private Life Modern writers have tended to portray Hadrian as a confirmed Homosexual His relations with his wife were not close, and it was even rumored that he tried to poison her

8.   In AD 136 he found his health failing so he adopted Lucius Ceionius Commodus as his heir however Lucius died on January 1, 138  His final days were not good his illness had grown worse and left him in long periods of distress.  His tomb is the foundation of the Castel Saint Angelo in Rome  He was by any standard a successful ruler in giving the empire firm frontiers and stable government for over 20 years Final Days & Legacy