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Hadrian’s first great imperial tour (121–125 CE) transformed travel into an instrument of government across the Roman Empire. Leaving Rome in 121 CE, Hadrian (reign 117–138 CE) inspected the Rhine and upper Danube frontiers, reviewed military organization in Germania, crossed into Britannia in 122 CE, and continued through Hispania before travelling through the eastern provinces, Asia Minor, Greece, Sicily, and back to Rome. His visit to Britain coincided with the beginning of Hadrian’s Wall (122 CE), while inspections elsewhere emphasized stricter military training, frontier security, and closer supervision of provincial administration.
The tour illustrates Hadrian’s attempt to strengthen imperial cohesion without relying upon further territorial conquest. Direct encounters with soldiers, administrators, cities, and provincial elites allowed the emperor to project Roman authority far beyond the capital, while his growing involvement with Athens and Greek culture revealed that cultural patronage was becoming another important instrument of imperial integration. Hadrian’s journeys therefore connected military reform with provincial governance and helped redefine the emperor as a ruler expected to inspect and understand the empire he governed.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Netchev, S. (2021, December 06). Map of the Hadrian’s First Imperial Tour, 121–125 CE: Frontier Inspection, Hadrian’s Wall and Provincial Rule. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/14937/map-of-the-hadrians-first-imperial-tour-121-125-ce/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Hadrian’s First Imperial Tour, 121–125 CE: Frontier Inspection, Hadrian’s Wall and Provincial Rule." World History Encyclopedia, December 06, 2021. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/14937/map-of-the-hadrians-first-imperial-tour-121-125-ce/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Hadrian’s First Imperial Tour, 121–125 CE: Frontier Inspection, Hadrian’s Wall and Provincial Rule." World History Encyclopedia, 06 Dec 2021, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/14937/map-of-the-hadrians-first-imperial-tour-121-125-ce/.
