REIGN 117-138 A.D.

Publius Aelius Hadrianus (or Hadrian) served as Emperor for twenty-one years, from 117-138 A.D. Due to the length of his reign, combined with his enduring popularity throughout the Empire, a great quantity of his portraits survive, more than for any other emperor, save Augustus. As Hadrian was forty-one years old when he came to power, his portraits show him as a middle-aged man. He was the first emperor to wear a beard, a trend that would persist for several centuries. His beard was once thought to illustrate Hadrian's philhellenic outlook, but is now recognized as a statement of his connection to the military, since beards were sported by men on campaign.