Acclaimed author Anthony Everitt, whose Augustus was praised by the Philadelphia Inquirer as “a narrative of sustained drama and skill...
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Jun 14, 2010
Leigh-ann
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This was an enjoyable look at the life of a man who seemed to be fairly sane and likable (at least, compared to some of his predecessors). The book only suffers because when compared to the first emperors (Caesar, Augustus, Claudius, and even Caligula and Nero) Hadrian just isn't as quirky nor was his life as filled with intrigue and drama. Hadrian's main impact on history may be the way he tried to infuse Roman society with more of Greek culture. He was definitely a "deep" individu
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Sep 06, 2010
Lauren
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It would be unrealistic to expect no speculation in a biography of an ancient. But too much speculation makes for poor reading. It is a jarring interruption of the story especially when it is unnecessary to the story. That is my main complaint about Everitt's biography of Hadrian. He suggests possible answers to uninteresting questions (like, at one point, which road Hadrian travelled to reach Rome). On occasion (especially one important occasion at the end involving Antinous), he jumps
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Sep 14, 2011
Juan-Pablo
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Review title: Decent on post-Julio-Claudian Emperors but very slim on Hadrian
The main problem with this book is the title and the intended focus. There’s a lot of history on the Emperors and the Roman Empire after the Julio-Claudian dynasty (basically, after Nero). In this respect the book is successful, although nothing out of the ordinary in terms of style. The ascension of Vespasian and Titus and the reign of Domitian are covered with decent detail.
The problem is that thro More...
The main problem with this book is the title and the intended focus. There’s a lot of history on the Emperors and the Roman Empire after the Julio-Claudian dynasty (basically, after Nero). In this respect the book is successful, although nothing out of the ordinary in terms of style. The ascension of Vespasian and Titus and the reign of Domitian are covered with decent detail.
The problem is that thro More...
Jan 22, 2012
Mackay
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A clear and involving biography of one of the most interesting and able of Rome's emperors. Everitt has also written about Cicero and Augustus, and he is recommended for anyone fascinated by ancient history. This book almost qualifies as a dual biography, for it starts in the times of Trajan, who preceded Hadrian, and whose support, as well as whose policies and mistakes, did much to form the man Hadrian became. Don't forget, apart from his Pantheon, his famous Wall (one of many), Hadrian stabil
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Jan 18, 2012
Joseph
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I'm just finishing up on this biography...thinking of abandoning it, but will probably see it through. It's very heavy on the Roman military -- I learned more about the legions than I did about the complex psychology of the emperor, which is what I was looking for -- and hoping for. It is also sketchy on Antinous, calling him at one point "the imperial boy friend." He was much more than that to Hadrian, of course, and therefore to history. However, this is beautifully researched and am
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Jan 19, 2012
Helga
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I listened to this audiobook because it was recommended at the end of The Swerve and I've been interested in Roman history for some time, without having any real targets for my ambition to learn more. This book ably served my purpose, both providing an excellent background on Roman history during the height of the Empire, and focusing on the individual quirks of one man. The sources that Everitt pulls from -- fragments, poetry, inscriptions, architecture -- are fascinating in themselves. The por
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Jun 25, 2011
Elizabeth
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Everitt is an excellent historical writer. I had already read his biographies on Augustus (Octavian) and Cicero. Those books also dealt with the organization within Rome, how military leaders dealt with maintaining conquered territory, maintaining the Roman rulership, capturing loot and/or leaving parts of the booty to support the Roman overseers. Very important was how military leadership and the two bodies of representative leaders fit into and supported each other.
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Dec 28, 2010
Jose
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Overall good. The author speculates a lot of details of this biography. Sometimes, they come in such rapid succession that you wonder whether you're reading anything worthwhile but you get used to it after a while. Hadrian was a good emperor for Rome judging his accomplishments but his personal life comes across as that of a mercurial, passionate and selfish man. His open homosexuality does not render empathy for many.
I found his succession planning quite interesting and i More...
I found his succession planning quite interesting and i More...
Aug 03, 2011
R.S.
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Hadrian ruled the Roman Empire between AD 117 - AD 138. He's famous for his great wall across northern England, building the Pantheon at Rome (still one of the world's largest free-standing concrete domes!), and presiding over the empire at its peak.
He's less famous for suppressing a Jewish revolt in Judea, a rebellion that was nearly successful and cost Rome dearly. In my personal view, this brutal war, known as the Second Roman-Jewish War or the Bar Kokhba Revolt, More...
Jul 03, 2011
Mark
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An occasionally engrossing portrait of one of Rome's most controversial but capable emperors, this book nonetheless pales in comparison to Everitt's biography of Cicero, so in sum and total, I personally considered Hadrian to be a disappointment.
The most interesting part of the book, in my opinion, comes during his early life as Hadrian comes in and out of favor as Trajan's heir apparent. In fact, the first third was so much more intriguing than the rest that I kind of wish Everitt had More...
The most interesting part of the book, in my opinion, comes during his early life as Hadrian comes in and out of favor as Trajan's heir apparent. In fact, the first third was so much more intriguing than the rest that I kind of wish Everitt had More...
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May 07, 2010
Jason
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Before I discovered a passion for the history of the Roman Empire, I found myself drawn to Emperor Hadrian – what he accomplished, who he was, and the significant romantic notion of his worldy, artistic, monument-building approach to leading the Roman Empire.
Anthony Everitt’s “Hadrian – and the Triumph of Rome” blends a fairly limited set of contemporary and near-contemporary resources with wonderfully portrayed color commentary of the times in which Hadrian lived.
In a r More...
Anthony Everitt’s “Hadrian – and the Triumph of Rome” blends a fairly limited set of contemporary and near-contemporary resources with wonderfully portrayed color commentary of the times in which Hadrian lived.
In a r More...
Sep 15, 2009
Colin
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An excellent and fair biography of the emperor Hadrian, the second of Gibbon's famous "Five Good Emperors." This biography, every bit as well-done as Everitt's treatments of Cicero and Augustus, well summarizes the important deeds, themes, and contradictions of Hadrian's life and reign. I had the good fortune to read this just on the heels of McLynn's Marcus Aurelius; if my fortune had been better I had read this first, of course. Highly recommended to the classics-minded sort, es
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Dec 01, 2011
Leif Erik
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I really liked the subject and it's been a while since I've read about the Romans aside from the fall of the Republic and the Civil War. The book itself is ok. Everitt is a good writer, but seemed like he was on auto-pilot for much of book. I'm guessing he over-estimated how much he could pull from primary sources before he signed the book contract. Still, you could do a lot worse if you want an introduction to 2nd century Imperial Rome and the shenanigans of their leaders.
Nov 02, 2010
Matt
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A good overview of late first century/early second century Rome. Because of the paucity/reliability of sources particular to Hadrian, there are a lot conjectures that you have to work around (may have had this tutor, may have met this person here, may have requested that person be sacrificed to prolong his life, etc). But once you take that into account, provides a solid understanding of times of Hadrian with what can be gleaned from his life.
Oct 30, 2011
Jason
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Not nearly as good as his biography as Cicero, maybe because this book was not meant to be a biography. It tells the history of Rome from Vespasian through Hadrian, with about half of the book being focused on Hadrian's rule. Unfortunately, the underlying sources are relatively sparse and the book is filled with perhaps and maybes that link Hadrian to the world and events of his time. You don't feel like you know Hadrian and to the degree you do he doesn't seem particularly complex or interestin
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Sep 03, 2009
Liviu
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Excellent for about 1/2-2/3 until Hadrian ascends to the throne - the description of the Flavian Rome, Spain and Trajan's reign are great and the young Hadrian comes much better to life than the Emperor who remains an enigma.
Better read Yourcenar's novel for insights about the Emperor himself plus some good Encyclopedia for the facts but the book is still worth for the gripping first part.
Better read Yourcenar's novel for insights about the Emperor himself plus some good Encyclopedia for the facts but the book is still worth for the gripping first part.
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Jul 26, 2011
The first English-language scholarly biography of Hadrian since the 1920s, Everitt considers the conscious limiting of the empire, a distinctly non-Victorian take on Antinous (so pretty! so sad!) and fashions this volume as the third in his Roman trilogy (Cicero and Augustus) and the high point of the Imperial effort. I wait to see if he add a fourth about the late, collapsing empire.
May 20, 2011
Eric
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This well documented book on Hadrian paints the picture of a Renaissance man before his time. Hadrian was an architect, solder, poet and recreational traveler among many other pursuits. The book would be a challenging introduction to Roman history but flows well and contains many stories about Hadrian's political and personal life. The author relies heavily on documentation other than Hadrian's personal memoirs and takes some license to fill in events from sources that don't mention Hadrian by
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Jan 28, 2010
Thomas
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A competent but somewhat arid biography. Everitt's sources are well documented and his scholarship seems sound enough, but there also seems to be quite a lot of filler material here. The first third of the book covers Hadrian's youth and ascension to the throne ("taking the purple" is the phrase Everitt loves) and while some background is necessary, the level of detail here bogs the reader down. If you can slog your way through the extraneous detail, Hadrian does finally come to life i
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Feb 17, 2010
David
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An excellent portrait of an enigmatic Roman, full of the sort of detail for which Mr. Everitt is reknowned. His style is very "reader-friendly" and lacks the stuffiness of most academic works about Rome and her leaders.
The photographs (mostly of surviving statuary), timeline, and maps are pertinent and help flesh out Hadrian and his associates.
The photographs (mostly of surviving statuary), timeline, and maps are pertinent and help flesh out Hadrian and his associates.
Jul 26, 2011
Chris
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Mostly liked it. A little too much speculation on the motives/"psychology" of Hadrian from very little evidence ("You can't really do psychology based on X, but" doesn't give license for such speculation), but overall interestingly written with lots of good refs at the back.
Jul 26, 2011
Interesting recap of the reign of one of the last strong Roman emperors. I enjoyed the tidbits about how Roman society had descended into a celebrity-based culture and had their own version of our culture wars. Hopefully we'll be luckier than them!
Jul 16, 2011
Deanna
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Very interesting. FYI Hadrian was the one who tried to change the name of Judea to Palistine. Since his troops were the only ones to be defeated by the Jews, he wanted to erase their name from the maps and history.
Apr 30, 2010
John
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Everitt's "Augustus" was wonderful and captivating, but the subject matter was much more interesting. Hadrian was one of the "5 Good Emperors," and this book portrays Hadrian as a competent, fair-minded and effective emperor who wasn't terribly popular -- not exactly page-turning stuff. Everitt is very easy to read, and he provides some good background and descriptions of Rome during Hadrian's lifetime. While there are a few slightly interesting facts about Hadrian (end of
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Mar 17, 2010
Greg
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The weakest of the Everitt's three books about great Romans, "Hadrian" suffers from a lack of historical data about this last great emperor. Too often, the text suffers from guessing and extrapolation.
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Feb 06, 2011
Sjo
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A must read for Roman history geeks. Everitt always does a great job telling stories about people that make them feel much more real than your typical biographer.
Sep 19, 2009
Rosie
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If you have a scholarly bend, you will enjoy this book on Hadrian the Emperor. I found it a bit dry.
Feb 10, 2012
Greg
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Fantastic, visual, lyrical, informative, entertaining. Reads like a novel. Great biography.
Apr 28, 2010
Bob
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Good read. I felt like I was reading about real people. He put me there with them.
Aug 12, 2011
Kathleen
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Enjoyable book with a good long look into the far reaching roman empire.This book was very readable and went into detail about Hadrian and Trajan,his predecessor.There seemed to be a great deal of research in writing thisbook
