Sons of Ancient Andaluсía

The coat of arms of Andaluсia features Hercules, which links the region to ancient times. Around two thousand years ago Andalucía was the birthplace of three famous personalities in Roman times.

Trajan and Hadrian became emperors known in history respectively as the second and third of the five good emperors. Both were born in Italica, today's Santiponce, located near modern-day Seville.

Trajan (Marcus Ulpius Trajanus) was born in the year 53. His family was Roman in origin. However, it is believed that they may well have mixed with the locals. His father reportedly had a career in the imperial service and thus made his family wealthy.

Trajan as emperor is remembered for the expansion of social welfare and extensive public works in Rome and the provinces. The roads and bridges, aqueducts and reclamation of wastelands, harbours and buildings built under his reign survive today in Spain, North Africa, the Balkans and Italy. Additionally, Trajan endeavoured to extend the borders of the Roman Empire eastwards, as far as Arabia, Armenia and Mesopotamia.

Incidentally, prior to his accession, Trajan was married to Pompeia Plotina, who was childless. Trajan therefore took in his cousin, Andalusian-born Hadrian, who succeeded him on the throne.

Hadrian (Publius Aelius Hadrian) was born in the year 76. His father was from Italica and his mother was the daughter of a noble Roman senatorial family living in Gades (modern Cadiz). Hadrian ruled after Trajan, from whom he differed completely in temperament and even in the way he spoke. There is an anecdote that before being proclaimed emperor, Hadrian was ridiculed by local Italian senators because of his ‘southern’ accent.

After becoming emperor, Hadrian abandoned Trajan's expansionist policies and territorial conquests. He visited almost every province of the empire and realised that it was more important to invest in the development of stable, secure borders. For example, Hadrian's Wall, which marked Britain's northern border, was built under his rule. It is reported that Hadrian preferred to intervene directly in the affairs of the provinces, especially in construction projects, thus pursuing his own imperial ideals and personal interests.

The name of one of the most brilliant minds of the ancient world is Seneca. He was a Stoic philosopher, satirist, orator, and one of the leading intellectual figures of ancient Rome.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger was born in Corduba (modern-day Cordoba) in 4 B.C. The word ‘younger’ was added to his name to distinguish him from his father, Lucius Annaeus Seneca, a Roman knight of Spanish descent who was an imperial procurator but best known as an expert rhetorician. His mother was Helvia, who came from a noble family from Urgavo (modern Arjona in Jaén province). One of their three children was Seneca, who is said to have been taken at a young age to Rome, where he lived with his aunt. In the capital, Seneca received the standard education of upper class Romans.

A skilled orator, Seneca was a leading figure in Roman politics during the reigns of Claudius and Nero, being one of the most influential and respected senators. As a writer, Seneca is known for his philosophical writings and his plays, which are all tragedies. His prose works include 12 essays and 124 letters dealing with moral issues.

Another little known that an ‘Andalusian’ was the ruler of the province of Britannia. His name was Gnaeus Papirius Aelianus Aemilius Tuscillus and he was born around the year 100 in Florentia Iliberritana, modern Granada. His family was from the Papirii, one of the most noble in the municipality, related to the gens Papiria of Republican Rome.

After becoming a senator, Aelianus joined the clan of Hispanic senators who became the most influential power group in Roman politics during the Flavian dynasty.

During his political and military career, Gnaeus Papirius Aelianus travelled extensively throughout the Roman Empire. In 145, Antoninus Pius appointed him governor of Roman Britain. Little is known about his governorship. It is reported that Aelianus was probably responsible for the occupation of the Scottish Lowlands, although his two-year tenure in Britain is characterised as relatively quiet and peaceful.