London Hadrian exhibition shows another side to Roman emperor

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2008

LONDON (AFP) — Roman emperor Hadrian may be best known for the wall in Britain which bears his name and his love of culture -- but a London exhibition which opened Thursday shows another, ruthless side to him.

"Hadrian: Empire And Conflict", which runs at the British Museum until October 26, features around 170 exhibits from 31 institutions in 11 countries, many of which have never been loaned out before.

It seeks to shed new light on the life of the leader whose empire spanned much of Europe, north Africa and the Middle East and built masterpieces including the Pantheon in Rome.

On entering the exhibition, visitors are confronted by a huge, white, marble bust of Hadrian, who took power in 117 and ruled until 138, which was discovered in Turkey less than a...