Born in Spain in 76 CE, Hadrian ascended to the throne upon the death of his adoptive father Trajan. In Rome, he re-built the famed Pantheon, with its distinctively Hellenistic look, and in Britain, the remains of Hadrian s Wall are still a tourist attrac
The reign of Trajan marks the zenith of Roman civilization. The borders were never as vast, the economy never as booming, the culture never as high. In an era of almost constant warfare, plague, and...
Hadrian s adopted son and heir, Antoninus Pius was notable for one reason: his pacifism. It was said of Antoninus that, not only did he never command an army in his 23 years on the throne, but he...
Assuming the throne at the tender age of 14, after a palace coup, Elagabalus was anything but the innocent child. Uninterested in the military or affairs of state, the young emperor made use of his...
The son of the enlightened Marcus Aurelius, Commodus had more in common with the emperor Caligula. Believing himself a genuine deity, he filled Rome with statues of himself in godly poses, and...
The son of Septimius Severus and Julia Domna, Caracalla assumed sole control of Rome after murdering his brother Geta in 211. A year later, he issued the famous Edict of Caracalla, granting full...