Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome Review

Review of Hadrian and the Triumph of Rome

By: Anthony Everitt

            Most people, unless you’re a historian, are only familiar with Julius Caesar thanks to Shakespeare’s play and all the information on Cleopatra, while Hadrian isn’t as known.  According to Everitt, Hadrian did plenty of beneficial things for Rome, even lessoning the military ambition of Rome during his reign as Emperor.  Though, Hadrian proved to be a great military prowess when his adopted father, Trajan made him one.   The first part is about Trajan’s rulership as it is about Hadrian growing up, especially since he raised Hadrian after his father died, but took his sweet time to declare Hadrian next in line for Emperorship. It was the interference of Trajan’s wife; he was on his death bed when she arranged for Hadrian to become the emperor when his adopted father died.  He did a lot for the Empire, but Hadrian sadly wasn’t beloved, especially since he seemed to prefer Greece over Rome.  His male lover, Bithynia, was a Greek boy, but sadly didn’t outlive Hadrian. Hadrian loved traveling, architecture, and wanting to learn everything.   This was an easy read, but the Roman terms and names were a challenge unless I was already familiar with them. This is a deep dive that’s a mixture of speculation and discussing that facts Everitt was able to obtain.  Other readers could benefit from an audio book version if one exists.