Hadrian's Library was created by
Roman Emperor Hadrian
Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania ...
in AD 132 on the north side of the
Acropolis of Athens.
The building followed a typical
Roman forum
The Roman Forum, also known by its Latin name Forum Romanum ( it, Foro Romano), is a rectangular forum ( plaza) surrounded by the ruins of several important ancient government buildings at the center of the city of Rome. Citizens of the ancie ...
architectural style, having only one entrance with a
propylon
In ancient Greek architecture, a propylaea, propylea or propylaia (; Greek: προπύλαια) is a monumental gateway. They are seen as a partition, specifically for separating the secular and religious pieces of a city. The prototypical Gree ...
of
Corinthian order
The Corinthian order ( Greek: Κορινθιακός ρυθμός, Latin: ''Ordo Corinthius'') is the last developed of the three principal classical orders of Ancient Greek architecture and Roman architecture. The other two are the Doric order ...
, a high surrounding wall with protruding niches (''
oikoi'', ''
exedrae'') at its long sides, an inner courtyard surrounded by columns and a decorative oblong pool in the middle.
The library was on the eastern side where rolls of
papyrus
Papyrus ( ) is a material similar to thick paper that was used in ancient times as a writing surface. It was made from the pith of the papyrus plant, '' Cyperus papyrus'', a wetland sedge. ''Papyrus'' (plural: ''papyri'') can also refer to ...
"books" were kept. Adjoining halls were used as reading rooms, and the corners served as lecture halls.
The library was seriously damaged by the
Herulian invasion of 267 and repaired by the prefect Herculius in AD 407–412.
During
Byzantine
The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...
times, three churches were built at the site, the remains of which are preserved:
*a
tetraconch
A tetraconch, from the Greek for "four shells", is a building, usually a church or other religious building, with four apses, one in each direction, usually of equal size. The basic ground plan of the building is therefore a Greek cross. They are ...
(5th century AD)
*a three-aisled
basilica
In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building gave its nam ...
(7th century), and
*a simple
cathedral
A cathedral is a church that contains the ''cathedra'' () of a bishop, thus serving as the central church of a diocese, conference, or episcopate. Churches with the function of "cathedral" are usually specific to those Christian denominations ...
(12th century), which was the first cathedral of the city, known as
Megali Panagia.
Around the same period as the cathedral another church,
Agios Asomatos sta Skalia, was built against the north facade, but it is not preserved.
File:Library of Hadrian (Athens) - Model in Colosseum - 1.jpg, Library of Hadrian (Athens) - Model in Colosseum
File:Βιβλιοθήκη Αδριανού 7983.JPG, View from south. Here is visible the tetraconch
A tetraconch, from the Greek for "four shells", is a building, usually a church or other religious building, with four apses, one in each direction, usually of equal size. The basic ground plan of the building is therefore a Greek cross. They are ...
, built in the court of the library
File:Stone inscription inside the Library of Hadrian honouring Hadrian, Athens, Greece (13891392542).jpg, Stone inscription inside the Library of Hadrian honouring Hadrian
Hadrian (; la, Caesar Trâiānus Hadriānus ; 24 January 76 – 10 July 138) was Roman emperor from 117 to 138. He was born in Italica (close to modern Santiponce in Spain), a Roman ''municipium'' founded by Italic settlers in Hispania ...
File:Athens - Library of Hadrian - sculpture 01.jpg, Relief fragment of a Gorgoneion. Museum at Hadrian's Library. 2nd century AD
File:The backside of the facade of Hadrian's Library in Athens.jpg, The backside of the facade of Hadrian's Library in Athens
See also
*
Library of Pantainos
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
132
Buildings and structures completed in the 2nd century
Ancient Greek buildings and structures in Athens
Landmarks in Athens
Ancient Roman buildings and structures in Greece
Roman Athens
Library
A library is a collection of materials, books or media that are accessible for use and not just for display purposes. A library provides physical (hard copies) or digital access (soft copies) materials, and may be a physical location or a vi ...
Ancient libraries
Libraries in Greece