Academics Lesson I—Classical Art

Question 1

Identify the Roman emperor depicted in this image.

Answer 1

Hadrian

Fun Fact: Publius Aelius Hadrianus was born on January 24th, 76 A.D., in Rome, or perhaps in Spain: we don’t know this for sure. On the death of his father he was adopted by Trajan at an early age and was coached into the role of emperor. He served with Trajan in various campaigns including the Dacian wars and held various positions in his entourage. His official adoption as successor was announced after Trajan’s death in 117 A.D., though Hadrian’s promotion to emperor was made difficult as he was disliked by some leading senators: in the process four ex-consuls were killed, accused of plotting against him. Hadrian had interests in performing arts and architecture, and his villa at Tivoli was his refuge. He spent much of his time visiting far off outposts of the empire and strengthening its boundaries. His wall in northern England is famous, but he also constructed a similar frontier system in Germany. Other visits took him to Spain, Greece, North Africa, Turkey, and Egypt. Exhausted by travels, he returned to Rome where he appointed Aurelius Antoninus as his successor in early 138 A.D.. He died in the same year and was buried in his mausoleum, later renamed Castel Sant’ Angelo.

Question 2

What Roman structure is depicted in this image?

Answer 2

Road

Fun Fact: This is an image of a street from the ancient town of Italica, near modern day Seville.

Question 3

What Roman structure is depicted in this image?

Answer 3

Theatre

Fun Fact: This is an image of a theatre from the ancient town of Italica, near modern day Seville.