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A
slightly larger than life-size statue of the
Roman Emperor Hadrian (117-138 AD) sited in
the eastern portion of the Ancient
Agora faces the government buildings to
the west. Hadrian was a great lover of Greek
culture and rebuilt and added many structures
to Athens.
This statue was originally placed in the stoa
of Zeus. The chest piece that he wears is called
a cuirass. Note the children Romulus and Remus
that are sucking the wolf. Romulus and Remus
are legendary twins who, after being abandoned,
were suckled by a wolf and in adulthood founded
the city of Rome. Thus the wolf and twins evokes
the memory of (the founding of) Rome.