The emperor started each day with an impressive display of power.
February 10, 2021
Maritime Theater, Hadrian s villa (UNESCO World Heritage List, 1999), Tivoli, Lazio, Italy. Roman civilisation, 2nd century AD. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)
Archaeologists working at the sprawling 200-acre site of Hadrian’s Villa in Tivoli have discovered a breakfast room where the Roman emperor would dine with his wife, Vibia Sabina.
Now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the estate was constructed around 120 AD and served as a retreat for the emperor when he wanted to relax outside of his Palatine Hill palace residence in Rome. Some nine years later, Hadrian began living full time at the villa, ruling and from 20 miles east of the capital.