Which two Roman emperors are back in the limelight

A.� You must mean Trajan and his successor Hadrian. Their faces have emerged from the past with startling clarity after the restoration of a magnificent arch in southern Italy.< xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />

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Q.� What and where

A.� Trajan's Arch at Benevento, south of Naples, was built between 109 and 114 in honour of the Emperor Trajan. The 50ft arch, constructed in marble, depicts Trajan's entry into Rome after victories over the Dacians and the Germanic tribes. Hadrian, 25 years his junior, is portrayed at his side. It also marked the completion of the Via Appia linking Rome to Brindisi, where Roman ships left for the eastern Mediterranean.

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Q.� A thing of great beauty

A.� Oh yes - but ruined by modern times. Not only have environmental changes left it corroded, but also its surroundings have changed for the worse. When built, the arch would have framed hills sloping down to the sea. Now, ugly blocks of flats cramp its style.

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Q.� And now the sculptures are being restored

A.� Yes. Antonio Forcellino, the chief restorer, said environmental changes had left the arch's friezes badly corroded. Details of its 1,000 portraits and figures had become almost unrecognisable on the column, which featured the high point of Roman sculpture. 'Even the polluted urban setting has not destroyed the sculptures' power after 2,000 years,' Forcellino said. 'The rich and almost obsessive detail is proof of superb craftsmanship.'

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Q.� And what are the main sculptures

A.� The sculptor - name unknown - shows Trajan putting the ring he had received from his predecessor, the Emperor Nerva, on Hadrian's finger to symbolise the future transfer of power. Hadrian's portrait shows him with a 'disturbing classical beauty'. The main frieze shows animals, men, chariots, prisoners in chains, warriors and sacrificial bulls in procession. One of the restorers called it 'a photograph in marble.'

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Q.� More about Trajan please.

A.� Trajan, a former provincial governor and legion commander ruled from 98 to 117. He was a favourite of both Vespasian and Domitian and then of Nerva, who named him as his successor. He was careful to respect the Senate, undertook extensive public works and tried to appoint honest officials to administer the Empire, which he expanded through campaigns against Dacia (now Romania), the Parthians and Armenia. Edward Gibbon in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, refers the 80 years' rule of Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian and the two� Atonines as 'the happiest of mankind's history'. The prosperous reigns of Trajan and Hadrian included a flowering of the arts and the emergence of writers, such as Tacitus, Pliny the Younger and Juvenal.

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Q.� And Hadrian ...

A. Hadrian was born on 24 January, 76. Hadrian's parents died when he was young and Trajan and his wife, Pompeia Plotina, who had no children, brought him up. Hadrian married Trajan's grand-niece Vibia Sabina. The marriage was not a happy one - mainly because Hadrian was gay.

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Q.� A learned man

A.� Hadrian became a great public speaker, a student of philosophy, wrote poetry, and he was a superb architect. He rebuilt Agrippa's Pantheon into the remarkable building that survives today. The Romans of his court called him the Greekling because of his love of Hellenic language and culture.

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Q.� His successes as an emperor

A.� He ruled from 117-138 and was more interested in travel, poetry and architecture than conquest. He neglected Trajan's eastern conquests, although he did reinforce Roman defences in Britain, including Hadrian's Wall. Hadrian's goal as emperor was to establish boundaries for the empire. He had realized that its size meant the empire could not be maintained and protected efficiently. It was a practical view, but not a popular one with many of the senators.

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�By Steve Cunningham

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