Publius Aelius Hadrianus drew his first breath on the 24th of January in the year 76. He emerged into a world centered in Italica, a Roman town founded by Italic settlers during the Second Punic War. This settlement sat within the province of Hispania Baetica, now part of modern Andalusian Spain. His family name came from the ancient Italian town of Hadria, located in the Picenum region. His father held the rank of praetorian senator and was raised in that same Spanish town. Domitia Paulina served as his mother, daughter to a distinguished senatorial family based in Gades. An elder sister named Aelia Domitia Paulina shared his bloodline. When both parents died in 86, the young boy stood at only ten years old. Trajan and Publius Acilius Attianus became his guardians. The emperor took charge of his education while Attianus managed household affairs. Hadrian grew up physically active and enjoyed hunting expeditions. At fourteen, Trajan summoned him to Rome for advanced studies. The city treated him with a nickname mocking his enthusiasm for Greek literature. They called him Graeculus, meaning Greekling. This mild mockery hinted at future cultural clashes.
The Four Executions
Trajan died on the 8th of August in 117 at Selinus, a coastal city in Cilicia. Hadrian remained in Syria as de facto commander of the Eastern Roman army. He moved quickly to secure power after the emperor's death. Rumors swirled around an adoption document signed by Plotina rather than the dying Trajan himself. Ancient sources debated whether this act was legitimate or forged. Cassius Dio viewed it as bogus while others claimed it genuine. Hadrian informed the Senate that troops had acclaimed him emperor out of necessity. He rewarded legions with bonuses but faced immediate threats from within the elite. Lusius Quietus led Moorish auxiliaries who served Judea under Trajan. Attianus uncovered a conspiracy involving four leading senators. Lucius Publilius Celsus, Aulus Cornelius Palma Frontonianus, and Gaius Avidius Nigrinus joined Quietus in the alleged plot. No public trial occurred. These men were hunted down and killed unlawfully. Hadrian claimed Attianus acted alone yet rewarded him with senatorial status before pensioning him off. The executions earned the senate lifelong enmity toward his reign. Official recognition of legitimacy arrived too late to dissuade rivals. Any of these executed men could have been legitimate competitors for imperial office. They might also have supported Trajan's expansionist policies which Hadrian intended to change.