Hadrian also served with the praetorians. At the time of his appointment to emperor he was serving as the governor of Syria. He also served in many places like Gaul, Lower Moesia, and Upper Germany. .
Following the expansionist reign of Trajan, Hadrian sought to stabilize warring lands and to defend Rome's frontiers. A major portion of his reign was spent on tours of inspection in the provinces, and his personal presence among the border troops served to assure their loyalty. Hadrian set the example as an emperor. His training and disciplining of his entire military force, to include officers, is evident in the fact that even today the methods then introduced by him are referred to as the soldiers' law of campaigning. One of his more notable accomplishments is the construction of the wall in Britain along the northern frontier. This wall was constructed to separate the barbarians from the Romans and was eighty feet in length. The barbarians had been conducting raids into the roman provinces causing much strife. With the construction of this wall the citizens and soldiers were able to live a more relaxed lifestyle. This wall became affectionately known as Hadrian's Wall. .
Hadrian was a man of extraordinary talents; certainly one of the most gifted that Rome ever produced. He became a fine public speaker, he was a student of philosophy and other subjects, he could hold his own in debates, he wrote both an autobiography and poetry, and he was a superb architect. Hadrian's name is synonymous with the Pantheon. He does not deserve credit for its design however, only for it's restoration. He is responsible for the construction of his retreat at Tivoli, and for the baroque tomb nicknamed the "Treasury,"" located at Petra, Jordan. As an architect, Hadrian is known to have left his greatest mark, with several of the empire's most extraordinary buildings and complexes being erected under his rule.
