August 11
Anniversary of the Confirmation of
Hadrian as Emperor of Rome
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Publius Aelius Traianus Hadrianus succeeded Trajan as Roman Emperor in 117 AD and is considered by many historians as the greatest of all the rulers that governed the Roman Empire. Hadrian had a genius for organization and administration. He was a man of peace who sought to rule the existing empire with justice rather than to extend the empire's limits by conquest. He was paternalistic almost to the extreme and spent much of his administration visiting every part of the empire. When visiting his troops, he marched with than, ate with than, and endured the rigors of their daily lives which explained in part why he may have been the most respected and loved of the Roman Emperors. However, Hadrian was also a lover of art, architecture, poetry, and literature. He was a formidable critic of contemporary writers and had strong personal literary gifts. |
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Emperor Hadrian |
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The complexity of Hadrian's mental gifts and talents and many of the remarkable events of his life was the inspiration for Marguerite Yourcenar' s Memoirs of Hadrian, which has been praised by many literary critics as one of the great novels of the twentieth century. It was primarily due to the greatness and beauty of this book, which took Miss Yourcenar thirty years to write, that she became in January of 1981 the first woman to be elected to the prestigious French Academy. The novel takes the form of a letter to Hadrian's eventual successor, the young Marcus Aurelius The novel not only provides an extraordinary reconstruction of second century Roman life, but it captures the soul and mind of one of the most complex men of history and explores it, facet by facet, with grace, honesty and obvious affection. At press time, John Boorman is directing a film based on Marguerite Yourcenar's book. One of Hadrian's great personal tragedies was the drowning of his favorite, Antinous, while the boy was swimming in the Nile. While roost historians consider the death accidental, Yourcenar postulates that the nineteen year old boy committed suicide because he was afraid of growing old and loosing his exceptional beauty. Hadrian's grief at the loss of Antinous was inconsolable and he built an entire city, Antinopolis or Antinoe, at the scene of the boy's death. From historical records and archeological remains, there are indications that the city may have been the most beautiful architectural achievement of the Roman Empire. There were dedications of Antinous all over the Roman world, many of which have survived and are included in some of of the most famous art collections, including the Vatican Collection. Antinous was deified, had a star named after him, and became the center of a mystical cult that lasted for centuries.
Hadrian's culinary contribution of caviar rolled in smoked salmon reflected
both the simplicity of his style and the complexities and subtleties of his
tastes. This invention has been adapted with many variations by the Scotch,
the Russians, and the French. Here is the recipe for the French version of
Hadrian's smoked salmon. |
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Saumon Fumé a la Hadrian |
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Ingredients |
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Instructions |
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