Emperor Hadrian And His Architectural Legacy

Introduction

Hadrian, born Publius Aelius Hadrianus, became emperor from 117 to 138. His father was a well-known senator, while his mother came from a family of distinguished senators. His parents passed away when he was only 10 years old, and he became a ward of Trajan, the emperor at the time. Regardless, he began his education at the age of 14. He had a great aptitude for academics, with a great memory for geometry, arithmetic and literature. This would soon become a great factor in his ability as an architect. His first official post in Rome was in Inheritance Court as a judge. He later served as a military tribune three times. He was one for the people, only further showcasing this as he was elected as a quaestor, or public official. He not only led the imperial council, but also responded to petitioners and read the emperor’s speeches. He was very fond of literature, even becoming a ghost writer.

In his mid 30s, he travelled to Greece. Hadrian grew very fond of this country and its culture. He was appointed to a chief magistrate there and would be very influenced, as well as influential in the community, as it would be shown in later statues and buildings in Athens in his honor. Later on in his life after being taken in by Trajan, Hadrian was nominated by the emperor to take his place. During his reign, he was not liked by the senate due to unjust deaths of those who could have been seen as threats to Hadrian (Mackay). Nonetheless, a majority of his reign was peaceful, and worked to unify the empire’s opposing people. Overall, his most enduring legacy would be the building projects he took part in throughout the Balkan Peninsula, Egypt, Asia Minor, and Greece (Following Hadrian). Some of these buildings lasted centuries with some still standing even today, but their influences are what made Hadrian’s name become a legacy in architecture.

Temple of Venus and Roma

Although the building was finished by his son, Antonius, the emperor, Hadrian, was the primary architect of this temple. It was 145 meters in length, and 100 meters in width. The temple contained two main chambers with statues in each one perched on thrones: Venus the goddess of love, and Roma the goddess of Rome. They were placed back to back overlooking separate parts of the empire; Roma faced west and Venus facing east. There were a row of four columns for each room, and the temple was bordered with columns that led down to a staircase. What was subtly added to the building’s symmetry, was not only Venus and Roma mirroring each other, but also their names. Amor is Venus’ Latin name, and also a palindrome of Roma. Since John Paul II, the temple continues to be used as a public address platform. It’s location on the opposite side of the Colosseum, as well as its open layout, serves as the perfect place for one to make announcements and hold public displays.

Hadrian’s Wall

At the beginning of Hadrian’s reign, the fighting in Britain slowly came to a rest. While visiting, he decided that he must build an 80 meter wall to separate the “Romans from the barbarians” (Following Hadrian). This wall was built as an expression of Hadrian’s power and defense expansion, as stated prior. He was very involved in the military, although his reign was mostly peaceful. This is why he is usually depicted in a suit of armor, even now later in history. Nevertheless, the wall was made to make a statement. It is said that the rebellion in Roman Britain and other conquered lands heavily influenced reasoning to build the wall, as well as provide control over smuggling and immigration. It is the largest Roman artifact, as well as the most dramatic features of the northern England landscape. Its construction began in 122 AD, lasting 6 years, and ran 73 miles long. Its base and walls were made from stone with a stationed Calvary and infantry fort placed every five miles. Surprisingly, the wall was constructed by soldiers from all three Roman legions, rather than slaves. The political reasoning behind the construction, set design and large amount of labor indicated that Hadrian was personally involved in managing the construction of this wall. Hadrian’s Wall, along with the Antonine Wall, was the closest the Romans came to closed frontiers. They were the only gates that could be completely closed. On the wall, out for ports were placed ten miles to the west. These forts were used as patrol stations, as well as static bases, further broadcasting the Romans’ control and influence of the empire. What set Hadrian’s Wall apart from all others was the scaling of the entirety of the wall. This was due to its short length. The ground on which the wall was built on was inconsistent and would often vary in height. From the northern side of the wall, one will find cliffs, and to the south, a slope of the ESCARPMENT. In turn, access would alternate between steep to nearly impossible. The Wall is then divided into three separate sectors: east, central and west. The best-preserved portions of the wall were made from WHIN SILL, but local limestone was primarily used. The land in which the wall was built was very ample with supplies used for the wall: limestone and sandstone. There were various designs of the mile castles and turrets, usually depending on which legion of the Roman army built them.

Colonia Aelia Capitolina

As stated prior, much of Hadrian’s rule was peaceful. The few instances of conflict stemmed from one of his trips to Jerusalem, shortly after the city was in ruins. He established his new city of Colonia Aelia Capitolina, named after himself. It was his reconstruction of this city that caused much violence towards Jews in the province. Hadrian wished to eradicate the influence of Judaism in the land. Many Jews fled to find refuge. Those who did not were executed by Hadrian. It gave the emperor much leeway to build how he wished to build, with his preferred influences. The layout of the city was to be similar of a typical Roman town. Of the many buildings constructed, were the Porta Neapolitana, a Temple for Aphrodite, two forums and even a Temple of Jupiter that was built on top of the Temple Mount, a former Jewish Temple, which is what caused much retaliation from those who practiced Judaism. Nonetheless, this layout was the foundation in which construction of future cities would be built. From the Damascus Gate, there would be too streets, named the Western and Eastern cardos. Cardo Maximus would be covered with columns of streets that would serve as a main road, as well as the focal point of the local economy. An urban grid design was incorporated in the construction of this city. It was based on the usual central north-south and central east-west route. This structure would be reused in today’s Jewish Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem after nearly 1900 years. Some excavations can still be seen today. The impact of Hadrian’s architectural design has lasted centuries long and continue to do so as individuals are able to visit the site and get an idea of how the cities looked originally.

The Mausoleum of Hadrian

Through Roman history, emperors would be buried in mausoleums. Hadrian commissions for the Mausoleum of Hadrian to be built for himself and his successors. While construction did not begin until 134 AD, it was finished a year after Hadrian’s death in 139. Still, Hadrian’s planning and designs were heavily incorporated in the building. The location was not by chance. Hadrian chose to have it on an empty side of the Tiber River. The Roman Empire was still very much so uncluttered, so it was very odd for him to place it here; however, the land itself was used as a burial ground since ancient times. The Mausoleum rose 50 meters, with a 64 meter diameter, making it the largest in the city. Hadrian was inspired by Augustus’ rule, having the building round in shape with a statue of himself on the top, much like the first Roman ruler. In addition to the Mausoleum itself, Hadrian also built the bridge in which individuals would cross for access to the former. The bridge itself connected the busiest center of Rome to the Mausoleum, with a clear view of it. With this very flamboyant building, it was no secret that Hadrian wished to grab everyone’s attention. Rather than adding on to Augustus’ Mausoleum, he decided to build one completely separate. This only added to the idea that Hadrian wished to create something that would place him in history. Centuries later, the building would be used for the representation of the Catholic Church. More specifically, it would be used as PAPAL refuge. Its large size and amount of rooms, combined with the proximity and access to the Vatican, made it the perfect place to seek protection. In fact, Pope Julius II and Leo X commissioned to add Papal apartments in the Mausoleums, in order to make it more worthy. While the Mausoleum has stood on the riverbank for nearly 2000 years, it still catches the eyes of many. It offers views of the Vatican and the Roman city. Its use has varied as a place of rest or refuge, but overall, it was still a place of protection and security. With Hadrian’s views on reinforcement and protection of the empire, it serves as a fitting legacy to his name. The PantheonOf all his architectural work, the Pantheon of Hadrian has been named one of the most influential buildings in western culture. What used to be a Roman Temple was rebuilt into a church. The building itself is circular with a PORTICO large granite CORINTHIAN columns under a PEDIMENT. A rectangular VESTIBULE links the porch to the ROTUNDA, which is under a COFFERED CONCRETE DOME, with a central OCULUS to the sky. Even nearly two thousand years later, the Pantheon’s dome is still the world’s largest unreinforced concrete dome. As one of the best-preserved buildings in Ancient Roman history, it proved to be very influential throughout the centuries. The building itself was a combination of new innovations and techniques forward in Roman construction. The use of concrete made it possible to form buildings that were never seen before. It has influenced many other spectacular buildings from HAGIA SOPHIA in CONSTANTINOPLE to the dome of the BASILICA OF ST PETER in Rome.

Michelangelo assisted partially in designing the Basilica, and closely studied the architecture of the Pantheon prior in doing so. It continues to be used as a church since the 7th century, and thus, holds monumental historical and influential value. Hadrian’s VillaFor much of Hadrian’s reign, he seldom spent time stagnant. He would often be traveling his entire empire. Through his travels, he helped found many cities and built many roads. This knowledge and exposure helped shape how he wished his villa to be built. This, with his love of literature, Hadrian utilized Pliny the Younger’s work of the ‘proper villa’. Hadrian has his villa built in the valley of Mount Tiburtini. This itself differs from normal villas, as they were usually built on tops of hillsides for cooler climate purposes as well as protection. While there are no concrete facts of his reasoning, many assume that it was due to his ambitious architectural plans that would not have fit on a hill. The estate contained more than thirty buildings, making construction on a hillside very dangerous and nearly impossible. However, Hadrian’s intellect shown through. He knew the villas needs for water consumption, so his placement had a lot to do with the need for an aqueduct nearby. His plan for water use actually makes up the cooler temperatures he would have had if built on a hillside. With the land’s abundance of red tufa on the borders of the now-dry streams, the villas were not only closer in proximity to Rome, compared to if built on the hillside, but the still were separated and had privacy.

The Campagna region was still very irregular and heavily dictated construction. Due to the uneven terrain, there is no central focus point for his villa due to numerous axes, as compared to normal villas that would have a central one (Andembri). While on the side, an aerial view would give the impression that the planning was very disorganized, the villa had many uniquely innovative features. The Pecile is the first piece. It was a representation of the Greek Stoa Poevile, which held the greatest Greek Paintings. With Hadrian’s Pecile measuring 232 by 97 meters, it most likely was planned to be. The most infamous structure held at the Villa would be the Maritime Theatre. While it was considered very common to build a villa within a villa, the Maritime Theatre surpassed that. No other building was built quite like the theatre. It was also called the Island Enclosure due to its grand size. Hadrian’s Pantheon had great influence on the Island. Its circular enclosure is 44 meters in diameter, close to the Pantheon’s size at 43. 5 meters, as well as faces north like the Pantheon. The island contains 22 spaces. As a layout belonging solely to Hadrian’s Villa, the Room had alternating semicircular and square floor plans. To the Roman’s, the most important part of their home is the bath. There were Small baths and Grand baths. As the names may mistake you to believe, the grand baths were actually used for servants, guards, etc. While they were larger, they were not as sophisticated and as decorated as the small baths.

Similarly, to everything Hadrian had designed, the small bath faced north. Hadrian had used typical Roman structure with an octagonal chamber. The walls continued his common theme of alternating flat and concave surfaces. Rather than a functional setup, it served as a more artistic function. The circular setup of the bathroom was much like the uniqueness of the entire villa; there were no other like it. Hadrian’s Villa had an immense impact on Renaissance villas designs. When the architectural design of the villa had been reborn in the Renaissance, there was not many examples in which others could learn from. It is said the many architects went to Hadrian’s villa to take notes on the design. Some buildings that were inspired by it include Belvedere Court by Bramante, as well as the Villa Madama by Raphael. As seen through their works, and the lack of writings regarding Roman villas, Hadrian’s Villa had a large influence on oncoming Renaissance architecture.

Conclusion

Hadrian, the emperor of Rome spent his remaining years unlike all his others, he remained in one place: Rome. His health was failing, and he occupied himself by immersing himself in his literary work. Unfortunately, his death was long and painful. He continued his writings stating how difficult it was to be so close to death, yet not being able to find it. He appointed Antoninus to be his successor to the throne, only if he adopts Marcus Aurelius to follow. When he passed away, his influence on Antoninus continued and was shown through his son’s building of temples in his honor. It seems that everywhere he travelled, Hadrian, the emperor, left his legacy imposed on many buildings. He died in his villa before it was completed, and as most of his creations that were still being made after his death, his son Antonius took over construction. Initially, after his death, he was buried in Puteoli, as a homage to Hadrian’s love of learning, since it was the estate of the Rhetorician Cicero. When construction was finished, Hadrian’s Mausoleum is the final burial ground, as he intended for it to be. Many of the buildings he assisted in creating and molding still stand today. Many were the foundational inspiration for a large amount of buildings we see around the globe today. Some of these include St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, the Pantheon in Paris, Drawing of Washington and even the Supreme Court Building in Tallahassee. He seemed to work hard to impose his name on the cities surrounding him, thus, creating a legacy that far surpasses anything that Hadrian would think he would build for himself.