Emperor Hadrian in a Major British Museum Exhibition

Hadrian's Wall, is one of the UK's most popular visitor attractions, stretching across the North of England from Newcastle to Bowness on Solway. But most of us don't know much about this Roman Emperor who pulled the Romans out of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq), traveled with a homosexual companion and had a passion for great architecture.

Before you head north to see his wall, find out more about Hadrian at the British Museum's spectacular special exhibition, Hadrian: Empire and Conflict. The exhibition opens next week (July 24) and will run until October 26.

Included are works from all over the Roman Empire, including the Vindolanda excavations in Britain, North Africa, Israel, Turkey and the former Soviet state of Georgia. They've never been seen together before. Some, like the massive head pictured here, recently excavated in South West Turkey, have never even been seen in public before.

The exhibition explores the life, love and legacy of Hadrian who reigned between AD 117 and 138. It's packed with surprising and little known facts. Did you know that he commissioned the Pantheon in Rome? Or that he married a woman to become emperor but named a city after his boy lover, who drowned?

Tickets for the exhibition, sponsored by BP, cost £12. To guarantee admission to what is sure to be a very popular exhibition, visit the website to book tickets in advance.

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