Photos of the Roman Villa of Hadrian Archaeological Site

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Photos of the Roman Villa of Hadrian (Villa Adriana) Archaeological Site Ruins, near Tivoli, Italy. The Home of the famous Emperor Hadrian. Photos by photographer Paul E Williams. (TIP – use the icons below the slideshow for thumbnail photos and info)

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Photos of the Roman Villa of Hadrian (Villa Adriana) – Archaeological Site Ruins

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Photos of the Roman Emperor Hadrian’s Villa,( Villa Adriana ) Archaeological Site Ruins near Tivili Italy.

The Roman Emperor Hadrian

Hadrian was Roman Emperor from 117 to 138 AD. He was a just and wise Emperor who was a great patron of building projects all over his Empire. From Hadrian’s Wall in England , to The Temple of Zeus in Athens Hadrian’s architects showed great skill and innovation.

The Roman Villa of Hadrian

Tired of his palace on the Palatine Hill in Rome, Hadrian decided to build a Villa outside Rome below the hill town of Tivoli. The result was a Villa complex of huge buildings that were built on the 21 hector site. Hadrian has a passion for water features so his villa had huge thermal baths and water gardens.

The Maritime Theatre of Hadrian’s Villa

At the heart of the complex is the so called Maritime Theatre (Teatro Marittimo), named after the marine architectural decorations that adorned its exterior. This ingenious building sits on a small round Islet surrounded by a moat full of water which in turn is surrounded by a circular barrel vaulted portico with 40 Ionic columns. On the Islet rooms that surrounded a peristyle. It was here that Hadrian escaped the turmoil of his duties to write poetry or just to relax away from the turmoil of his daily duties.

The Thermal Baths of the Roman Villa of Hadrian

Hadrian, like most Romans was a great lover of the baths. The Roman Bath in every Roman town was where the Roman Elites Discussed politics and conducted business.

The site of the Hadrian’s Villa was chosen because of its ready supply of thermal water which fed the bath complexes of the villa.

Hadrian was a great admirer of the Ancient Greeks and began the trend in Rome of wearing beards as the ancient Greeks had done. He also travelled to all parts of his empire and brought back ideas to incorporate into his villa.

The Serapeum of Hadrian’s Villa

The Canopus is an elongated canal imitating the famous sanctuary of Serapis near Alexandria. A semi-circular Serapeum is located at its southern end of the canal and is dedicated to the gods Isis and Serpis. It was probably used as a banqueting hall.

The sides of the canal was lined with statues of the caryatids that would have been inspired by the Erechtheion in Athens.

The demise of Hadrian’s Villa

After Hadrian’s death the villa was maintained but the Emperors largely preferred their Palaces in Rome. Emperor Constantine removed much of the art from Hadrian’s Villa and took it to Constantinople.