Hadrian can be said to have been one of the greatest Emperors Rome ever had - a lover of art and Greek culture, an architect, and a well travelled man who enjoyed speaking to even the lowliest of his citizens. This book explores his life, from birth until death. What it reveals is a man that is cultured, intelligent, fair and kind, but also a man that is capable of great harshness and cruelty.
Little is known of Hadrian's early years, and so understandably that part of the book is rather short. However, much is brought out through a fascinating use of archaeology - some of it fairly obscure, which helps us to shed light on Hadrian's life. The author makes frequent use of speculation when it comes to precice dates and places, but never uses his speculation as solid fact. However, his educated guesses are precicely that - educated, and Birley is clearly writing on a subject opon which he is an authority.
The book generally reads very well, but is sometimes rather boring - inevitable for a book of this nature, though a great deal of the book is very entertaining, and it's good to read about the personal factors in Hadrian's life. The only times I felt myself drifting off were at the points which explained that Hadrian was 'here was at such-and-such a place at such-and-such a time'. The sections on Antinous are particularly interesting, trying to make sense of the conflicting reports of his death. I hadn't heard of the idea that he was offered in sacrafice to prolong Hadrian's life - whether true or not, they certainly provide an insight into the way Hadrian was seen by the upper classes of Rome at that point in time.
I am certainly not a scholar or a historian, but I found this book very interesting. It really enlightened me, and made me see Hadrian in a different light. I would recommend this book to anybody with more than a passing interest in the travelling Emperor.
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