ote their welfare. The Senate he treated with all outward marks of
respect, taking the oath to respect the lives of its members, but at the
same time he regarded it as a negligible factor in the government.

*Military policy.* Realizing that Trajan's policy of imperial expansion
had overtaxed the economic resources of the empire, he began his rule by
abandoning the new provinces of Mesopotamia and Assyria, and reverting to
the previous Roman policy in Armenia, where a Parthian prince acknowledged
his overlordship. He devoted his energies to strengthening the system of
frontier defences and raising the standards of discipline and efficiency
among the soldiers. Aside from the suppression of the revolts which had
broken out in the last years of Trajan's rule, his most serious military
undertaking was the quelling of a new rising of the Jews in Palestine,
which followed the foundation of a Roman colony on the site of Jerusalem.
Only after a two years' struggle (132-134 A. D.) was the rebellion
crushed.

*Judicial and administrative reforms.* To aid him in the administration of
justice, Hadrian formed a permanent council of eminent jurists. He, too,
was responsible for codifying and editing in a final form the praetor's
edict, upon which was based the procedure of the Roman civil law. This
task was carried out by the jurist Salvius Julianus. With the object of
relieving the city courts of an excessive burden of judicial business,
Hadrian divided Italy into four districts, and appointed an official of
consular rank to administer justice in each. This was a further step in
removing Italy from the control of the Senate and approximating its status
to that of a province. Hadrian's administrative reforms were the result of
the steady increase in the sphere of public business carried on by the
officers of the princeps, and furthered the development of a centralized
bureaucracy. By creating new offices--among them the post of advocate of
the fiscus (_advocatus fisci_) as an alternative for the subaltern
military offices--he greatly increased the importance of the equestrian
career and the influence of the _equites_ in the government. In the three
departments of the military, civil and judicial administration the
principate of Hadrian marks a distinct epoch.

*Building activity.* Everywhere throughout the empire Hadrian built and
repaired with the greatest zeal; but particularly in Rome and Athens. In
Rome, among other structures,