The "secret" journeys of Emperor Hadrian have been discovered on a white marble slab in an ancient Roman city.
The white marble, found in the Ostia Antica archeological park, southwest of Rome, details the dates of the ancient Roman emperor's journeys between Greece and Africa, Il Messaggero reported.
Hadrian, who ruled from 117 to 138, is best known for creating Hadrian's Wall, and being one of the "Five Good Emperors," who ruled during a period of prosperity for the Roman Empire.
The engravings in the white marble are from 128 A.D. and describe Hadrian's movements in detail. The fragments—found in the Forum of Porta Marina area of the archeological site, which lies just outside the ancient city gate—are from the Fasti Ostienses. This was a calendar of Roman magistrates and several significant events that took place between 49 B.C. to 175 A.D.
For this reason, the engravings hold valuable clues into this time.
Director of Ostia Antica Alessandro D'Alessio told Il Messaggero that it is rare to find something like this today.
There is no doubt that the engravings detail the movements of Hadrian himself.
They show that in 128 A.D., the emperor assumed the honorary title of pater patriae, which translates to "father of the people." To celebrate this, the engravings show that he gave money to his subjects, the news outlet reported.
It is also noted that the emperor left for Africa on April 10 the same year. He returned to Rome in July before leaving for Athens, Greece, in August.
It is thought that between these journeys, the emperor consecrated a temple, although it is not clear which one.
"[It could be] the Pantheon or, more probably in the current state of our research, a non-existing temple, namely the Temple of Venus and Rome, of whose consecration we would now know the exact date: the first half of August, if not exactly 11 August—the same day as his accession to the throne in 117—of 128 A.D.," D'Alessio told Il Messaggero.
"The discovery of this epigraphic fragment is extraordinary, as it gives us in just a few lines such a quantity of information and clarifications on Hadrian's reign and activity that we did not possess before."
These most recent findings were made as part of the research project, Ostia Post Scriptum. The finding was made back in September 2022, when excavations began.
The primary focus of the project was to excavate a sector of the city that has never been investigated before.
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