All the news spinning out of the Hadrian exhibition is dizzying in terms of quantity and quality ... here are a few items, though, which might be worth checking out:
In contrast to the gushing Hadrian-was-the-greatest-thing-since-panem-et-circenses reportage which is going on, Mary Beard's post on what we really know about Hadrian is a welcome relief ... that said, it was probably inevitable that someone would try to compare Hadrian's principate with modern times (here's another)... perhaps equally inevitable would be the 'reactionary' pieces stressing the negative aspects of Hadrian's rule (including a letter that Hadrian was "worse than Hitler") ... perhaps useful, but unfortunately somewhat unfocussed is a brief item on Hadrian's Soldiers Writing Home (Vindolanda letters, of course) ... definitely interesting is coverage of the ear crease seen in many Hadrianic busts as presaging the heart condition which killed him ...
We can also mention some Obamamania in conjunction with the Hadriamania, I suppose ... we can introduce it with a piece gushing on the symbolism of the presidential candidate making a speech on the site of the Temple of Hercules in Amman (although that temple dates from Marcus Aurelius' time) ... then we bring it full circle with a piece on what Obama can learn from Hadrian ...
In contrast to the gushing Hadrian-was-the-greatest-thing-since-panem-et-circenses reportage which is going on, Mary Beard's post on what we really know about Hadrian is a welcome relief ... that said, it was probably inevitable that someone would try to compare Hadrian's principate with modern times (here's another)... perhaps equally inevitable would be the 'reactionary' pieces stressing the negative aspects of Hadrian's rule (including a letter that Hadrian was "worse than Hitler") ... perhaps useful, but unfortunately somewhat unfocussed is a brief item on Hadrian's Soldiers Writing Home (Vindolanda letters, of course) ... definitely interesting is coverage of the ear crease seen in many Hadrianic busts as presaging the heart condition which killed him ...
We can also mention some Obamamania in conjunction with the Hadriamania, I suppose ... we can introduce it with a piece gushing on the symbolism of the presidential candidate making a speech on the site of the Temple of Hercules in Amman (although that temple dates from Marcus Aurelius' time) ... then we bring it full circle with a piece on what Obama can learn from Hadrian ...