How important were Hadrians trips around the Empire in establishing Essay

How important were Hadrians trips around the Empire in establishing his policies of consolidation - Essay Example pulations and territories in it, Hadrian’s trips became the turning point and the crucial element of the successful consolidation: Hadrian’s trips did not simply bring the territories and populations back to the political and social order, but under Hadrian’s leadership, the territories that had been separated before became one, cohesive and increasingly effective mechanism of the imperial domination. That the years of Hadrian’s political ruling were not easy is difficult to deny: Hadrian was met with the utmost displeasure on the side of other political leaders and the public itself. Hadrian had to abandon many territories and provinces won by Trajan and destroyed the theatre which Trajan had created in the Campus Martius (Anonymous 1921, P29). As the time passed, Hadrian was no longer capable of enduring the pressure of his political opponents and had to devise a strategy that would consolidate the empire and would, simultaneously, strengthen his political position. In the situation Hadrian was in, he did not see the way to consolidate the empire other than to set out on a trip across the imperial possessions. The fact is that Hadrian led his people not by violence but by dignity (Cassius Dio 1925, P437). Although â€Å"the Alexandrians had been rioting, and nothing would make them stop until they received a letter from Hadrian rebuking them, so true is it that an emper or’s word will have more force than arms† (Cassius Dio 1925, P441). Hadrian’s trips highlighted the turning point in the political and territorial development of the Empire: they put an end to the existing conflicts and began the new era of consolidation under Hadrian. Campania was the first on Hadrian’s way to consolidation. There, Hadrian aided the region by giving them gifts and benefactions (Anonymous 1921, P31). The role of Hadrian’s traveling to Campania is difficult to underestimate. He was able to choose and attach the most prominent men to his train of friends (Anonymous