My Hadrian Part 18 By Joe Camp
idc90@hotmail.com
WARNING: This story contains vivid descriptions of sexual acts between boys and with men and boys. The following story is a work of fiction. It is a fantasy. Caesar Hadrian and Antinous are well documented historical figures, as is their relationship as lovers. Scholars disagree on certain facts concerning Hadrian and Antinous. Few disagree as to their relationship. This story is Fiction, but the author has tried to keep it to what would be reasonable for beliefs held at that time. Please read the preface for more information on the subject. The preface also includes a glossary of special words used in the story.
This story contains sex between a boy and a man. While these acts were acceptable by social standards 1860 years ago, today, they are not. The author does not encourage or condone sex between adults and children.
If you are underage, or reading about homosexual acts between boys or by a man and a boy offends you; find something else, and delete this file. Most historians agree the relationship started before Antinous was 13, probably sometime around age 11 or 12, and continued to his death, in his late teens or early twenties. It is known that Antinous drowned in the Nile. It is debated if it was a sacrifice or an accident.
The author wishes to thank and acknowledge the help of Ronald Staley, in his efforts to keep the general tone of the story, historically accurate.
The author retains the copyright of this story. Placing this story on a web site without the authors permission is a violation of that copyright.
My Hadrian Part 18
As the Emperor was saying goodbye to Gaius, he was thanked for sending me to his bed. The Emperor didn't even look over at me as he smiled and told him he was welcome. The Emperor thanked him for letting his son share his bed, and they were gone. Except at the chariot races, I have never seen either of them again. My erastes has never said one word of rebuke to me about my actions that night.
This trip has taken us to the wonderful city of Athens. Once again we toured the whole city, paying special attention to the fabulous buildings my Hadrian was having built.
When we arrived the people worshiped the Emperor. It wasn't like Rome at all. There, what they say with their mouths isn't always what is in their hearts. At Athens and everywhere else we went, it was easy to tell the people really love my Hadrian.
Hadrian inspected the new aqueduct for carrying the much needed water to the city. Of course it was beautiful as well as functional, as all Roman aqueducts are.
The gymnasium was very popular with the boys and men of Athens. We worshiped at the Olympieum, the temple to Zeus that my Hadrian was finally having finished after 600 years.
We prayed in the new temple to Zeus my Hadrian had ordered built, and in the temple to his jealous wife Hera. Of course we had to worship at the feet of Athena, and you could tell the people of Athens were touched that the Emperor revered the Goddess the city was named for.
Magnificent is the only way to describe the library! Hadrian was lavish in the use of marble in the library. It is one of the finest and most beautiful libraries anywhere. The marble walls and gilded roof sparkled. The spacious rooms are beautiful. The paintings and statuary are by the best artists and sculptors, and I could have spent hours in front of each one contemplating each stroke of the brush or mark of the chisel.
Yes, it was a far different Hadrian than when we were first in Athens. He was happy even though he was a little ill. The city was beautiful and well run, and the people loved him for it.
All the while we were in Athens, I never saw the bedchamber I was to have. I spent all my days and nights with my erastes. Our time there had been filled with so much love that we had to express our love for each other the night before we left, even though his doctor had advised he not get too excited.
Hadrian stood up, taking my hands and pulling me to my feet. Slowly with an impish grin, he removed my tunic. I stood there with my sandals on and the head of my hard cock wet with a large spot of pre-cum. His tongue lapped the pre-cum from my slit as he knelt and unfastened my sandals. He arose and our lips met. His tongue was caressing the inside of my mouth.
When at last we broke our kiss, I started removing the purple toga of my Emperor and erastes. I was eager to unwrap that big cock of my lover. I tossed aside his toga so I could worship his hard dick. Quickly I slurped it into my mouth, and I savored the taste of my Hadrian. I had to groan as he lifted me off his cock.
My erastes sat on the edge of the bed as I removed his sandals and tossed them aside. The servants would have to find them later. Hadrian lay in the center of the bed as I gently rubbed his chest, feeling the hair, feeling his nipples, feeling my love.
My Hadrian pulled me to him, taking my left nipple in his mouth, gently sucking and kissing it. All to soon, he took his wonderful mouth away, but quickly changed to my other nipple. I can't describe how I felt, but the feelings he was giving me took my breath away.
I let my hands roam across his perfect chest as I pulled away from him. I needed to make love to his chest. I took one of his big nipples between my thumb and my forefinger, gently pinching and pulling on it, as my mouth encased the other. My Hadrian started moaning and twitching against my hand and mouth as his nipples started getting hard.
I kissed down his broad hairy chest I love so much. I followed the path to his pubic area. Kisses placed on each of his big eggs. Kisses up the shaft of his cock. A lick to clean the pre-cum from his purple dick-head before placing a tender kiss there too.
I grabbed the oil pot and slicked my Hadrian's cock. I handed the pot to my lover and he oiled my hole. I got on top with a knee on each side of my erastes hips. I reached under me and retracted my Hadrian's foreskin before wiggling my butt as I got lined up and guided his huge dick into my ass. I sit down and we both had to sigh as Hadrian's cock bottomed out.
My erastes took my dick in his hand and started working and loving it in time to my up and down movements on his cock. Ever so often, he would stop jerking on it and work the foreskin with his thumb, as he squirmed his cock around inside me, and I pumped up and down. The gods were loving every moment of it.
We never sped up, but after 15 minutes or so, my Hadrian screamed, "By the gods! Oh, I love you Antinous!" as he started grunting and squirting his life force into me. The gods told me they couldn't stand any more, and my seed was pumping out onto my erastes' chest as I threw my head back and let out a long loud scream.
We toured several places in Asia Minor, stopping a while in Nicea, before taking a pleasure trip down the Nile. We hadn't been here in Egypt long before the Emperor told me the disturbing news. There may be a famine next year. For two years now, the Nile has failed to flood the crop lands. One more year and people will die of hunger. Not just in Egypt. The whole Empire depends on the fertile crop lands of the Nile. It didn't seem possible. It is so peaceful here, and I have been swimming in the Nile each day.
I was praying last week at a temple to Hapi, the god/goddess of the Nile. As I was about to leave, a priest stopped me and we started talking. I asked him what could be done to ensure good crops next year. He said only a willing human sacrifice to the gods would ensure the Nile would flood. He explained how anyone who sacrifices themselves in the Nile becomes a god.
When Hadrian saved my life the other day, I knew the gods had chosen me to be the sacrifice. I knew I was dead when I turned my head and saw that big cat springing at me, and I couldn't turn or bring my weapon up soon enough! It had to be the gods guiding the lance as Hadrian pierced it through the heart in mid flight, knocking it off course and causing it to fall short.
Yes, I have been chosen. I have had a better life than anyone has a right to expect. I have had my erastes, my Emperor Hadrian.
Yes, my erastes is ill. By my sacrifice, the gods have promised he will have years added to his life. My time as his eromenos is drawing short. Every day, I become more and more a man.
By my sacrifice, the gods will be appeased, and flood the Nile next year. Emperor Hadrian's Egyptian Province and the Empire, will be saved from famine.
The oil in the lamp is almost gone. Yes, I have made my decision. Today I will fall into the Nile. I can't tell my Hadrian. He would forbid me. It is starting to get light out, and I feel my erastes' cock getting firm. Soon he will enter my love hole. One more time to make love to my Hadrian. One more time to show him how much he has meant to me. Then a bath before Stephen dresses me in my toga, and a short walk to the Priests of Hapi.
The End
Postscript
The author admits to taking many writer's liberties in writing this story. As stated it is fiction. Also as stated, scholars disagree on many of the facts concerning Hadrian and Antinous. While Ronald Staley did check each part for historical accuracy, any mistakes are solely the author's, as I always had the choice of including or excluding. I do extend a thank you to Ron for his kindness in editing this work. He never became cross with me, my mistakes, nor what I did with the story.
Little is actually known of Hadrian's and Antinous' relationship. Therefore, nothing is really known of their emotions for each other. It is known they had an intense relationship, and it is mentioned by writers of their time. Most scholars over the last few hundred years have chosen to ignore their relationship, as it was seen as defaming one of the good Emperors. It was also something of a scandal during their own time, not to mention the current attitudes towards boy/man relationships. It seems to me not to have been so much because of it being a boy/man relationship, but more because of their ages and the intensities of their love.
Hadrian ignored several taboos in his relationship with Antinous. One was that Hadrian was past 40 when the relationship began. There are hints that the relationship lasted longer than was acceptable. I think that Antinous may have been showing signs of being a man. The erastes - eromenos relationship was supposed to end at the first sign of a boy's manhood.
Nothing is known of Antinous' early childhood, except where he was born. It is not known who his parents were or when or how he came to live in Hadrian's household. It is very unlikely he was a slave. Because of the depth of their relationship it is unlikely he was forced into it. The school described in part 1 was common for the times, and upper class men often found an eromenos at them.
All that is known for sure is that he seems to have been in the household by age 11 or 12. It is known he was Hadrian's favorite lover by age 13. Scholars disagree on whether or not Hadrian kept a stable of boys. I think it very likely he did.
Hadrian's relationship with his wife is also open to speculation. I think he respected her and treated her with kindness, but for whatever reason they did not have sexual relations. I do think it quite possible Hadrian was not only a boy-lover, but a bisexual which was very common for those times. Man/boy or male/female sex was acceptable. Man/man sex was not, unless it was with a slave or captive. Then, only the Roman male could do the penetrating, never allowing himself to be penetrated.
To the best of my knowledge, no vase or other art work has ever been found showing a boy penetrating the man anally. As every other form of man/man, man/boy sex has been found, it would make sense to me for it to have sometime existed. There is no evidence of Antinous penetrating Hadrian either orally or anally. The author included it because I think it quite likely to have happened as it didn't seem to bother Hadrian to ignore taboos.
First, Hadrian did love Antinous, and they did have a sexual relationship. As any gay man will admit, it would be hard not to at least think about it happening with your lover. Hadrian and Antinous were lovers for about 8 or 9 years. Also, Hadrian was sure to have studied the earlier Emperors. He did have access to all of the previous Emperors' archives, and the writings about them. Writings exist showing Nero to have "preferred to play the part of the woman when with a man." Or in other words he would have known Emperor Nero was a bottom, even though that information wouldn't have been known to the public.
Hadrian would also have been aware that sexual morals have swung back and forth with time. During Ancient Greece (about 500 B.C.), anal sex with a boy was taboo. It was acceptable for the man to perform oral sex with a boy. By Hadrian's time, anal sex with a boy was acceptable. It was taboo for the boy to penetrate the man in any way, either orally or anally.
When looking at what was and was not acceptable, there are several factors to consider. One problem I have encountered in my research of Hadrian, is that many modern scholars will make a sweeping statement covering a thousand years or more, without narrowing it down to what time period and location they are talking about.
During Hadrian's time, man/boy sex was socially acceptable in most of the areas of the Roman Empire. The Jews were also part of the Empire, and no form of male/male sex was acceptable to the Jews or Christians, although I am sure it happened. It has been speculated, although I am not sure I accept it, that the "thorn in the flesh," the Apostle Paul spoke of was homosexuality. (II Corinthians 12:7). What his human weakness was really doesn't matter.
Whether or not Antinous' death was an accident or a sacrifice is also wide open to speculation. It could have been either. I am told the word Hadrian used when writing of Antinous' death can be translated as meaning fell as in accident or fell as in sacrifice. It is very likely it was an accident as Antinous had been going swimming in the Nile for several days before he drowned. It would appear he was a strong swimmer, but swimming accidents do happen.
There are several reasons Antinous might have sacrificed himself. Hadrian was ill and the Greeks believed that you could add years to someone's life by sacrificing yourself. The Egyptians believed that someone sacrificing themselves in the Nile would cause the Nile to flood properly for irrigating the farm lands the following year. They also believed that person became a god. Antinous would have known this.
If Antinous loved Hadrian so much he couldn't stand to leave him, he might have seen sacrifice as the best option. Even an Emperor couldn't stand against the charge of being a homosexual. That would have meant he wasn't a man and fit to lead the armies. I believe it quite possible that Hadrian and Antinous were homosexual lovers.
One of the writers of the time wrote that Hadrian "cried like a woman." It is also said that Hadrian would burst out crying for Antinous years after his death. There are many reasons Hadrian could have reacted as he did after Antinous' death, whether it was an accident or sacrifice.
It was believed that a person who sacrificed themselves in the Nile became an Egyptian god. It is possible the death was an accident and Hadrian took advantage of the custom to strengthen the bond between Egypt and Rome.
It would have been the custom in Egypt to mummify the body of the new god. Hadrian would probably have gone along with that. It is known he forced the Roman Senate to declare Antinous a god.
Where Antinous body was buried is not known. It is thought to have been buried in Rome under a large marker Hadrian had erected. That was later moved several times over the centuries, and no one knows where it originally was.
Hadrian built the city of Antinioopolis and established the religion, in honor of the god Antinous. The Greeks and Egyptians were quick to accept this new god and worship him, and the sect spread to Rome itself. The Greeks because he was one of their own who made good. The Egyptians because he sacrificed himself for Egypt. The Romans weren't quite so open to him.
Hadrian lived 8 years after Antinous' death, and it has been reported he grieved the rest of his life. It is said he would often burst into tears, crying for Antinous.
So, was Antinous' death an act of love or an accident? Each will have to decide for themselves.
The End
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Thanks for reading, Joe Camp 1999