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Birley has...produced a volume rich in detail, imaginative in interpretation, sane and sensible in judgment. - TheClassical Outlook Birley has written the best biography of Hadrian to appear in English in 75 years and one likely to remain the standard treatment in any language for the foreseeable future.[This] is a clearly presented, judiciously argued, and interesting story of a man who saw himself as a second Augustus and Olympian Zeus.. - Choice, May 1998 Hadrian is a thorough and fascinating account of the life of a man who, though hated when he died, left an indelible mark on the Roman empire. - Book Watch An excellent, and long overdue, biography of one of the greatest and most accomplished of the Roman emperors. - Kirkus Reviews With meticulous scholarship, this balanced biography portrays a cultured tyrant who used his secret police to spy on friends and family as well as a restless traveler who spent half his reign touring his farflung provinces . . . will appeal to history buffs. - Publishers Weekly

Birley has...produced a volume rich in detail, imaginative in interpretation, sane and sensible in judgment. <br>- TheClassical Outlook <br> Birley has written the best biography of Hadrian to appear in English in 75 years and one likely to remain the standard treatment in any language for the foreseeable future.[This] is a clearly presented, judiciously argued, and interesting story of a man who saw himself as a second Augustus and Olympian Zeus.. <br>- Choice, May 1998 <br> Hadrian is a thorough and fascinating account of the life of a man who, though hated when he died, left an indelible mark on the Roman empire. <br>- Book Watch <br> An excellent, and long overdue, biography of one of the greatest and most accomplished of the Roman emperors. <br>- Kirkus Reviews <br> With meticulous scholarship, this balanced biography portrays a cultured tyrant who used his secret police to spy on friends and family as well as a restless traveler who spent half his reign touring his farflung provinces . . . will appeal to history buffs. <br>- Publishers Weekly <br>

'Birley has certainly done [Hadrian] justice in this finely detailed, scholarly and closely argued biography ... This is a superb addition to the excellent Routledge series of imperial biographies.' - Peter Jones, Literary Review 'Birley is scrupulous. His grasp of epigraphy and numismatics, his diligence in flowing the vestiges of imperial travel, and his patent sense of fairness in evaluating the scappy ancient literature on Hadrian enable him to construct a narrative of the Emperor's life which renders all previous efforts obsolescent.' - Nigel Spivey, Times Literary Supplement 'A learned yet very readable book.' - JACT Review 'Birley's book is essential for the Hadrian researcher.' - Gay Times 'An excellent, and long overdue, biography ofone of the greatest amd most accomplished of the Roman emperors.' - Kirkus Reviews 'Elegantly decked out with coin portraits, photographs, sculptures and maps, this readable bio will appeal to history buffs' - Publishers weekly 'Mr Birley is an excellent guide to the facts of Hadrian's career, and of the careers of many of his contemporaries' - Jasper Griffin, The Spectator 1997 'This book is well worth the price both to read and as a work of reference. It contains useful photographs, details abour coins, bibliography and index, and also contains excellent maps.' - Gay and Lesbian Humanist Birley ia an excellent companion to the myth of a characteristically complex man' - The Herald (Glasgow) 'Birley brings this cipher to life with gusto, Hadrian's childhood and early career, his imperial reign and subsequent travels through every corner of his empire, step by step, stone by stone, until the redaer, too, is exhausted by Hadrian's (and Birley's) seemingly irrepressible energy' - Josephine Balmer, New Statesman and Society ""...This is a historical work that must rank amongst the most important biographies of the Roman emperors; it deserves to be read as much for its account of Hadrian's restless travelling through the provinces as for its analysis of policies and matters of state."" - British Archaelogy 'Birley has now produced a volume rich in detail, imaginative in interpretation, sane and sensible in judgement. ...This is an extremely learned book, often challenging.' - The Classical Outlook/Fall 1998

In the first scholarly biography of Hadrian (76-138 A.D.) since Bernard Henderson's 1923 work, German historian Birley examines the personal life and cultural and state achievements of the emperor who Hellenized and consolidated the Roman Empire. Drawing on the Historia Agusta and other Latin sources, Birley traces the life of Hadrian, a Roman of senatorial rank and Spanish origin whose career rose with that of his uncle Trajan. Trajan spent much of his time with his legions at the frontier, and Hadrian himself headed several legions. After Trajan became emperor, Hadrian assisted his uncle in the conquest of the Dacians, after which the Roman Empire expanded to its greatest breadth, and married Trajan's granddaughter, Vibia Sabina. Significantly for his future role as a promoter of Greek culture, Hadrian served as archon of Athens and was put in command of the army of Syria and adopted as Trajan's heir shortly before the emperor's death. Birley shows that Hadrian himself was both peripatetic and vigorous as ruler in consolidating his position around the empire, developing his eponymous wall in Britain, negotiating a peace with the Parthians, and putting down rebellions in Judaea (occasioned by his own unsuccessful attempt to Hellenize the Jews). Deeply interested in Greek architecture and culture, he became personally involved in massive building projects and wrote poetry, some of which has survived. Birley also traces Hadrian's celebrated homosexual relationship with the youth Antinous: When the boy died after falling into the Nile in 130 A.D., Hadrian became disconsolate. A person of mercurial character, he died after a long illness, hated by many but having left a remarkable stamp on the culture and character of the empire. An excellent, and long overdue, biography of one of the greatest and most accomplished of the Roman emperors. (Kirkus Reviews)

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Anthony R. Birley is Professor of Ancient History at the University of Dusseldorf. He was previously Professor of Ancient History at Manchester University. His previous books include three on Roman Britain as well as biographies of Marcus Aurelius and Septimius Severus.

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