British Museum Plans Show on Gay Roman Emperor

[Viggen]

Hadrian: Empire and Conflict'' (July 24 - Oct. 26) will feature some 200 loans from 31 countries and take place in the British Museum's specially refitted circular Reading Room. Hadrian ruled the Roman Empire from 117 to 138 A.D. and ordered the building of a wall dividing England and Scotland.

 

The Roman emperor also was picked because multiple new discoveries offered a ``chance to write new history,'' which is part of the British Museum's purpose, he said. The exhibition will reveal the many faces of Hadrian, a skilled and ruthless military leader who crushed the Jewish revolt of 132 A.D. and faced down rebellions in Britannia, the Balkans, the Caucasus and Mesopotamia.

 

full article at Bloomberg

[Ludovicus]

Why the title "Gay Roman Emperor" in this post? The Romans didn't divide their sexual world into gay and heterosexual. Hadrian wasn't the first emperor to bed men. The term "gay" would have made no sense to a Roman.

[Ludovicus]

My apologies. I see that "Gay Roman Emperor" is a title that Bloomberg concocted, and not you, Viggen.

[Melvadius]

My apologies. I see that "Gay Roman Emperor" is a title that Bloomberg concocted, and not you, Viggen.

 

I'm afraid that it is the old problem of journalists often going for the 'sensational' rather than using a bit of thought and putting things into context. Following only a simple search I found the following options as a comparison:

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml.../11/nart111.xml - Daily Telegraph article under the title An outing for Hadrian at the British Museum goes on to state 'An exhibition on the Roman emperor Hadrian - the first staged anywhere in the world - is to be mounted at the British Museum this summer, replacing the First Emperor terracotta warriors show which closes in April...'

 

The British Museum itself uses the title "Hadrian: Empire and Conflict" opens with the description 'This special exhibition will explore the life, love and legacy of Rome's most enigmatic emperor, Hadrian (reigned AD 117

Edited January 11, 2008 by Melvadius

[Viggen]

I know which type of article (given the choice) I prefer to pick up and post links to.

 

...when posting there was no choice, it was the only one, i got...

 

cheers

viggen

[Melvadius]

I know which type of article (given the choice) I prefer to pick up and post links to.

 

...when posting there was no choice, it was the only one, i got...

 

cheers

viggen

 

Understood but possibly in hindsight not obviously taken as read in my posting.

 

My phrase about 'given the choice' was simply meant to indicate my own preferences and to indicate that I understand the problem of possibly contentious links from [from long and sometimes bitter] personal experience. [i now usually try to post links to original articles if I have time to find them.]

 

That is why I included the choice of a couple of alternative postings above that I hoped took a more balanced approach and ones that I thought you may not have had access to or time to find when you initially posted.

 

Carry on the good work,

Edited January 12, 2008 by Melvadius

[Ursus]

I admit when I saw the title used by the journalist, I rolled my eyes. For all the reasons that Ludovicus stated.

[Primus Pilus]

Hadrian wasn't the first emperor to bed men.

 

Not attempting to disagree with Ludovicus by any stretch, but reading this line literally, it gave me a moment of pause. I don't recall any emperor prior to Hadrian being known for sexual activity with actual men vs. boys (I suppose this would be rather subjective though of course). In any case, Augustus and Tiberius were known for their attraction to youths, though if I recall correctly Augustus' preference was young girls. Caligula would be a possibility, and Nero as well. Suetonius also claimed that Domitian prostituted himself to Nerva and some others...

 

Not that this really matters in the context of anything, but for some unknown reason I was struck curious by the distinction.

[Klingan]

This title reminds me of the iron age Mickey Mouse and Hobbit found.

[Ludovicus]

"Elagabalus' sexual orientation and gender identity are the source of much controversy and debate. Elagabalus married and divorced five women,[30] three of whom are known. His first wife was Julia Cornelia Paula;[29] the second was the Vestal Virgin Julia Aquilia Severa,[29] but within a year, he abandoned her and married Annia Faustina,[29] a descendant of Marcus Aurelius and the widow of a man recently executed by Elagabalus. He had returned to Severa by the end of the year,[30] but according to Cassius Dio, his most stable relationship seems to have been with his chariot driver, a blond slave from Caria named Hierocles, whom he referred to as his husband.[23] The Augustan History claims that he also married a man named Zoticus, an athlete from Smyrna, in a public ceremony at Rome.[26]" From Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elagabalus

 

The Wiki footnotes cites the Historia Augusta

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roma...balus/1*.html#4

[Ludovicus]

There are probably more reliable and better detailed references to Roman emperors' same sex preferences and activities than Wiki.

Edited January 23, 2008 by Ludovicus

[Gladius Hispaniensis]

I don't recall any emperor prior to Hadrian being known for sexual activity with actual men vs. boys (I suppose this would be rather subjective though of course)

I remember reading that Titus had a whole harem of catamites with him during the siege of Jerusalem. I can't remember the source though. Also, according to Will Durant, Trajan was indulging in pedophilia when he was proclaimed emperor. Hadrian's bisexuality was certainly not something scandalous in his time.