Hadrian - the Restless Emperor

Advantages: Comprehensive and thought-provoking
Disadvantages: Sometimes a bit dull.

...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...

djoser 15.08.2000 · Read review
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Review of Hadrian: The Restless Emperor - Anthony R. Birley

Hadrians Wall

Advantages: None
Disadvantages: Plenty

...the Scots. Instead of allowing the two top Scottish teams into English football, maybe we should repair Hadrian’s Wall and keep them out. No disrespect to the Scottish nation as they are no different to other nationalities. Many are nice people, many are ordinary, many are clever, some are brilliant and some are rogues but you can say that about any nation. If only I could understand what some of them are saying. But I expect that some of them would say the same about me....

jimbuck 13.08.2001 · Read review
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Review of Scottish Football in General

Frontier Outposts of Roman Britain

Advantages: Fascinating glimpses into Britain's Roman past, spectacular views of the surrounding Pennines
Disadvantages: Not well suited for the handicapped

...The Emperor was gravely concerned. His visit to Britannia in 122 A.D. had not gone entirely well. In fact, many among the more troublesome barbarians of the Northern tribes declined to be counted as part of his empire. To minimize this threat from the North and to bolster flagging morale among the legionnaires, Emperor Hadrian ordered the construction of an 80-mile-long defensive wall, extending from Wallsend at the mouth of the River Tyne in the east to Bowness-on-Solway in the west. ~~~~~~~~~~~ Today ~~~~~~~~~~~ Nineteen hundred years later, remnants of Hadrian's Wall have endured as important fixtures on the Northumbrian landscape, including a 6-mile stretch administered by the British National Trust. Along the length of the wall as it exists today are several major excavations of Roman sites, including forts, milecastles...

BawBaw 29.02.2004 (06.03.2004) · Read review
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Review of Hadrians Wall (England)

The National Trail - A walkers experience

Advantages: So many- beautiful scenery, amazing experience
Disadvantages: blisters, good old northern weather

...I walked the wall with my partner at the very beginning of April this year. The National Trail is 84 miles from Wallsend to Bowness-on-Solway. However as we live in Newcastle we felt that we would gain nothing from walking from Wallsend to Newcastle, so we started from Heddon on the Wall. We took six days to walk from Heddon on the wall to Bowness-on-Solway; and we were carrying full sacks. We stayed mainly in Bunk Houses, spending one night in a Youth Hostel, and the other in a Camping Barn. The first day we got the Hadrian's wall bus from Newcastle to Heddon on the wall. The Hadrian's wall bus (The AD122- the year the wall was completed) was an unexpected but thoroughly enjoyable experience; and one that I would recommend to anyone, especially those with an interest in the wall but who feel unable to walk it. The bus runs...

Chuckles1987 16.05.2008 · Read review
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Review of Hadrians Wall (England)

Age of Empires - original version

Advantages: Fascinating subject, informative
Disadvantages: Over-ambitious, not a good display area

..."Empire and Conflict" is the title of this Hadrian exhibition, although I think, if asked, most people in the UK would find "Emperor and Wall Builder Extraordinaire" more appropriate. So associated is he with walls, there was even a brand of paint called Hadrian (a "deep gloss paint" if I remember rightly) - how humiliating is that? Of course, the wall-building is a very parochial view of a vast empire that covered most of Europe, North Africa and the Middle East and of which we occupied a small corner. I like Hadrian. I've visited his Wall and the forts along it, and many years ago went to the ruins of his enormous villa at Tivoli, outside Rome. He (along with perhaps Vespasian and Marcus Aurelius) is a beacon of light among the megalomaniac perverts or over-promoted stop-gaps which most of the other emperors were. That's not to...

Chouchinciao 04.09.2008 (06.09.2008) · Read review
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Review of Hadrian: Empire and Conflict Exhibition, British Museum

Boberius the Builder

Advantages: Read op
Disadvantages: Read op

...suppose they just could not take anyone seriously that wore that ridiculous short frock in the bitterly cold North East of England. The head honcho at this time was a certain Imperator Caesar Traianus Hadrianus Augustus. Known to the Geordies as Gussie but to everyone else as the Emperor Hadrian. On hearing of this impudent race, Hadrian immediately set sail and arrived on the banks of the Tyne to see for himself the problem in hand. His reception by the Geordies or toon army as they were now called, must have miffed him to say the least as he coined the immortal words “Sod this for a game of soldiers” and immediately returned to Rome, leaving instructions that a wall be built to “keep the buggers out”. OK so I have possibly taken liberties with history, but who is to say that my version is not as plausible as any other that you...

RobinLawrie 25.01.2002 · Read review
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Review of Hadrians Wall (England)

Walking the Wall

Advantages: See more Wall and scenery
Disadvantages: Hard on the feet and It's often peeing down

...There have been two accounts of Hadrian?s wall on Ciao already (one in 2004) so I won?t be covering what has already been said. This review is aimed at those who might wish to walk, at least partially, the route of this ancient 80 miles long edifice. Believe me, the views from the Wall are absolutely astounding and they?re well worth the blisters - so read on! WHAT IS HADRIAN?S WALL? This monument is the physical barrier erected by the Emperor Hadrian around 122 AD, to separate Romanised Southern Britain from the ?Barbarian? North. Until the late 19th century it was believed that the Emperor Severus had erected the stone-built Wall around 200 AD but archaeological investigations have proved that he merely restored it and strengthened it. The final version of the Wall had 17 forts along its length, a milecastle every (Roman) mile...

tel1 30.03.2005 · Read review
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Review of Hadrians Wall (England)

Hadrians Masterpiece

Advantages:
Disadvantages:

...The Pantheon in the historic centre of rome is a must on any itinerary for a visit to Rome. It was originally built by the Emperor Adriano (Hadrian) as a temple to all the gods. The architecture is stunning. The entrance is through two massive bronze doors, each weighing many tons, that in its day were the largest doors ever made. Even though much of the embellishments have been lost they are still an object to be admired and amazed by. Passing through those great doors one enters a huge circular Basilica. What makes the Pantheon so unique is it is almost perfectly preserved, (indeed it is the best preserved Roman building anywhere in the world). It owes this stroke of fortune to the fact that in the 6th Century, just as the papacy was asserting itsef, it was consecrated as a Christian Church thus saving it from the looting by...

Travelman 04.08.2000 · Read review
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Review of Pantheon & Piazza della Rotonda

Who moved Hadrians Wall

Advantages: everything you could need
Disadvantages: it rains a lot and its windy

...The reference material at Ciao must be very ancient indeed. Carlisle used to be in Scotland about 300 years ago. Infact it used to be the capital of Scotland at one time. It is one of those cities that's been moved around a bit and according to Ciao, has ended up in Scotland. Hadrians Wall runs just north of the City which might offer some kind of clue. We also spent hundreds of years throwing Scots out before 10pm in an effort to control the alcohol problem in the city. The Scots got the blame and we used to throw them out and lock the Scots Gate. We don't eject them anymore but the law is still on the statute books. We have a beautiful cathedral, a castle and Guildhall which are worthy of a visit. There a fantastic museum and art gallery The museum has lots of hands on stuff for the kids and Roman and Viking exhibits as well as...

janharper 16.06.2001 · Read review
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Review of Carlisle (England)

Go on - Buy British!

Advantages: Cheap, Refreshing
Disadvantages: Boring dated packaging!

...Sometimes in sandwich shops and restaurants my preferred brand of mineral water is unavailable. Not a bad thing really, they generally taste similar, being water and all. Today I sipped from a bottle of Hadrian Still Spring Water. The product is contained within a round clear PETE bottle. It has a navy lid and a navy label. Hadrian Still spring water apparently originates from Northumbria, so it's a good ole British mineral water. Because of this there is a tiny water-colour style picture of Hadrian's Wall. Hardly lifestyle stuff, is it? Realistically the packaging is disappointing. It's something you'd find in a tea-room, something associated with people who eat Devon Cream teas and Cornish ice-cream - overtly British. It looks dated and inexpensive. In its packaging it clearly does not strive to rival the more desirable brands since...

Frayed 13.07.2004 · Read review
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Review of Hadrian Clear Still Spring Water