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Hadrian bought Rome 500 more years
Hadrian's pivot inward
Rome's earlier emperors grew the empire by invading new territory. Hadrian was the first to turn toward domestic consolidation, and he built a massive wall, Hadrian's Wall, to protect what Rome already had.
Three inherited problems
He inherited three problems at once. The empire was massively overextended. The currency was being debased and hyperinflated, with less silver going into each denarius. And core infrastructure like the aqueducts was crumbling.
A name with a purpose
Hadrian consolidated the empire into a strong core, rebased the currency, and fixed the crumbling infrastructure. Chris Power, an Australian who moved to the United States, named his defense manufacturing company after him, to point at the same job for America: reinforcing domestic supply chains and rebuilding the industrial base at home.
Why did Hadrian give up conquered territory?
Hadrian took power in 117 CE, when the empire stood at its greatest extent after Trajan's campaigns. He abandoned Trajan's newly won provinces east of the Euphrates, including Mesopotamia, because they were costly to hold. He then spent much of his twenty-one-year reign touring the provinces and inspecting army camps.
How did emperors debase the Roman denarius?
The denarius began as nearly pure silver. Nero lowered its silver content in 64 CE to stretch the supply of metal, and later emperors kept adding copper. By the middle of the third century, the silver coinage held only a few percent silver.
How did Hadrian's Wall control the frontier?
The wall ran roughly 73 miles across northern Britain, with construction starting around 122 CE. Gates along its length let soldiers monitor and tax movement across the border. Small fortlets called milecastles stood about every Roman mile, with two watchtowers between each pair. Forts along the line housed the auxiliary troops who garrisoned it.
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