Castle throws Roman-style party for Emperor Hadrian
Happy birthday Hadrian as castle calls for celebration. Tony Henderson reports.
What do you give a man for his 1,950th birthday? How about a bash with wall-to-wall activities?
On Saturday (January 24) the Emperor Hadrian will reach the birthday milestone.
And Newcastle Castle, built on the site of the Roman fort of Pons Aelius that overlooked the bridge of the same name which was called after Hadrian, is staging a creative birthday party for the Emperor, who was born on January 24 in the year 76.
Hadrian was arguably a major benefactor to the North East, gifting it his Wall which runs from urban Tyneside to the west coast of Cumbria, and is a World Heritage Site and major visitor draw.
From 117 to 138 Hadrian was Emperor of a vast empire which stretched from the north of England to the Sahara and the Atlantic to Arabia.
He operated a policy of ending Roman expansion in favour of the development of stable, defensible borders and the unification of its many different peoples.
He travelled widely throughout the empire and visited Britain in 122, when work on his Wall was beginning and would almost certainly have taken a tour of the northern frontier.
“We couldn’t miss the celebration of a legendary emperor and will be hosting a birthday party with activities for all to enjoy Roman style,” said Rebecca Whittaker, the castle’s programming and engagement officer.
Events for visitors will range from creating a large paper mosaic and writing birthday messages on a painted image of Hadrian’s Wall, to dressing up in Roman togas, making laurel wreaths and displaying Roman artefacts.
“Visitors arriving in togas, home-made or otherwise, will qualify for a 10pc admission discount, so we hope people get their towels and bedsheets ready to dress up like the Romans who once walked the streets of Newcastle,” said Rebecca.
Hadrian’s major interests were in architecture and military matters, and his Wall combined both. It is believed it was largely built by three legions stationed in Britannia at that time.
The Great North Museum in Newcastle has an inscription from a milecastle on the Wall which name-checks Hadrian.
Also on display are two altars erected on the site of the Roman bridge over the Tyne by the Sixth Legion, transferred to the area from Germania around the time of Hadrian’s visit, giving thanks for their safe arrival on the Tyne.
The altars to Neptune and Oceanis were found during construction work on the Swing Bridge.
Andrew Parkin, keeper of archaeology at the museum, said: “It’s a nice idea to mark the birthday of the Emperor.”
Hadrian died in 138.
Love this angle on framing Hadrian as a benefactor to the North East. That shift from viewing the Wall purely as military infrastructure to recognizing it as a gift that keeps giving (tourism, cultural identity, etc) is kinda brilliant. The birthday party activities sound great too, especially getting folks to show up in togas for a discount. I've been to similar "living history" events and they realy do bridge the gap between abstract ancient history and tangible community connection.