Words and Rituals for the Dead: Hadrian Among Hellenic Heroes

Document Type

Book Chapter

Publication Date

2025

Abstract

Hadrian’s engagement with the Greek past extended beyond mere admiration — he actively participated in its commemoration through words and rituals. This paper explores Hadrian’s systematic veneration of the tombs of long-deceased Hellenic figures, a practice unparalleled among Roman emperors. Unlike his predecessors, who merely visited or acknowledged such sites, Hadrian composed sepulchral epigrams and performed ritual acts at their gravesites, reinforcing a connection between Rome and the Hellenic past. By analyzing epigraphic, literary, and archaeological evidence, this study examines the political, cultural, and personal motivations behind Hadrian’s actions. It argues that his engagement with these monuments and sites was a deliberate strategy to position himself within the continuum of Hellenic heroic tradition, thereby legitimizing his rule and reinforcing his vision of a Hellenized Roman Empire. Ultimately, Hadrian’s words and rituals for the dead functioned as acts of imperial self-fashioning, further solidifying his legacy in both life and death.

Comments

In the book Narratives of the Roman Empire How to Make Rome with Words and Rituals

DOI

10.1515/9783111707020-017

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