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[[File: Hadrian One.jpg|200px|thumb|left|A bust of Hadrian]]
Hadrian (76-138 AD) is regarded as one of the greatest Emperors in Roman history. He is widely credited with leaving an indelible mark on the Roman World and his reign is seen as one of the highpoints high points of its history. Hadrian’s reign was to set the pattern for the Roman world for the next two centuries or even more. His rule effectively ended any more plans for territorial expansion and Rome began to concentrate more on defense. Hadrian was a great builder and he also did much to stimulate urbanization. His influence on the provinces of the Roman world was also profound and he encouraged a Greek cultural flourishing in the east. However, his treatment of the Jews was a dark chapter in his reign.
====Background====
====The reign of Hadrian====
[[File: Hadrian Wall.jpg|200px|thumb|left|A section of Hadrian’s Wall]]
Hadrian was faced with several crises. Trajan’s military campaign had greatly overextended the Empire and especially the military. The conqueror of Dacia had found the Parthian Empire very difficult to conquer and even though he had captured its capital and western provinces, it was still resisting Roman occupation. At the time of Trajan’s death, the areas of Parthia that he conquered were in open revolt , and many feared that the Roman legions would be cut-off. Many Roman legions had been diverted to the Parthian theatre and this had left many provinces poorly guarded.
As a result, there were serious revolts in North Africa, Pictish incursions into Roman Britain and a serious insurrection among Jews in North Africa, Cyprus, and Egypt. The Roman World was on the verge of a crisis. Hadrian upon securing his position in Rome, moved first to Britannia (122 AD) and repelled the Pictish invaders and ordered the building of a wall between the Picts and Romano-Britons, which was later named in his honor. His generals were able to subdue the Jews after much violence in the Eastern Mediterranean. The situation in the east demanded his attention, the legions were still trying to quell the revolts in the former provinces of the Parthian Empire, it appeared that the Parthians were determined to re-conquer their western lands, that had been lost to Trajan. Hadrian immediately went to Parthia and realizing the predicament of the Romans he negotiated terms with the Parthian monarch.<ref> Speller, Elizabeth, Following Hadrian: a second-century journey through the Roman Empire (London, Review, 2003), p 34 </ref>
====Hadrian as builder====
Everywhere Hadrian went he build temples, monuments and public buildings and encouraged the building or re-building of towns and cities. The aims of this building policy were complex. They sought to demonstrate the power of Hadrian and to legitimize his authority in the Roman World, after the controversy of his alleged adoption by Trajan.<ref>Danzinger, p 198</ref> The ambitious building projects were also part of a strategy to promote urbanisationurbanization, to revive the fortunes of many provinces.
The many building projects in Greece were part of an effort to restore that province after many years of perceived neglect. Hadrian rebuilt Athens’, and this greatly helped the local economy. This policy did much to revive the economies of provinces from Asia Minor to Britain. This policy of urban development was to benefit all the Empire, especially in the Hellenized provinces, which were the subject of generosity from Hadrian, that great lover of Greek culture. The commitment to urban development was part of his efforts to strengthen and consolidate the Empire.<ref>Birley, p 178</ref>
====Hadrian and the Provinces====
No Emperor was more interested in the provinces than Hadrian. He personally visited every province and inspected it. He was a capable administrator and he cracked down on abuses and established efficient provincial administrations. He also sought to integrate local elites further into the Roman system. He encouraged local cities to hold festivals in honor of Rome and the Emperor. Hadrian respected local cultures and sought to encourage local government in the Roman World. The best example of this was the establishment of the ‘Panhellion’ in Greece.<ref>Boatwright, Mary T. Hadrian and the Cities of the Roman Empire. Princeton University Press, 2003, p. 147</ref>
This was a collection of Greek city-states, who had celebrated religious and cultural festivals. This was designed to encourage local elites to take part in the government of cities. The Panhellion and the patronage of Greece by Hadrian are seen as leading to the socio-economic revival of the Greek-speaking provinces in the Roman World and the flourishing of Hellenic culture known as the ‘Second Sophistic.’<ref>Boatwright, p 119</ref> Hadrian’s policies were able to successfully foster development in many areas of the Roman World and yet at the same time, integrated them further into the Empire.
====Hadrian and the Jews====
Hadrian was a cultured man and very cosmopolitan in outlook. However, he shared many of the same prejudices against the Jews as other members of the elite. It seems that Hadrian was determined to ensure that the Jews no longer were able to militarily oppose Rome.<ref> Faulkner, Neil. Apocalypse: The Great Jewish Revolt Against Rome (Stroud, Gloucestershire, Tempus Publishing, 2004), p 114</ref> Moreover, they had to assimilate like other groups and tribes to the expected norms, especially when it came to religion. Hadrian provoked a revolt and his repression of it could be termed a genocide. Hundreds of thousands died and many more were enslaved. In the wake of the defeat of Simon Bar Kochba’s rebellion, the Jews no longer threatened Roman rule.
Hadrian in the aftermath of the defeat of the Second Jewish Revolt prohibited the Torah and Jews could not enter the re-named Jerusalem except on one day of the year. These measures and the desolation of Judea led to a decline in the Jewish community in and around its traditional homeland. More Jews left to live elsewhere in the Empire and so many left that some historians date the history of the Jewish Diaspora from the end of the Second Jewish Revolt. The movement of Jews out of Judea was to lead to dramatic religious changes. Judaism became a transportable religion with a focus on local synagogues and the Bible, rather than the Temple in Jerusalem. Hadrian’s policies were to decisively change the history of the Jews.
