Focus on this artwork and explain the History.
Antinous was the Greek lover to the Roman emperor Hadrian in the second century CE. Often referenced to as Hadrian's favorite, or more affectionately Hadrian's boyfriend, Antinous was born a slave in Bithynium 110 CE and is speculated to have drowned in the river Nile before his twentieth birthday in 130 CE. The circumstances of Antinous's death vary by account, though the most popular theories range from accidental, to suicide, and even those that are sacrificial in nature. In honor of his lover, Hadrian established the city of Antinoopolis in Egypt the same year Antinous drowned. Hadrian also went on to deify Antinous postmortem by including him as a figure of the Roman imperial cult; because of this, sculptures of Antinous were produced in large quantities for cult worship.Upon Antinous's death in 130 CE, Hadrian sought to revitalize Classical Greek sculpture tradition with Roman subject matter. Hadrian's appreciation for Greek art and culture is known as philhellenism, and that love for all things Greek awarded him the nickname "The Greekling." Within Hadrian's lifetime he had visited Greece on three separate occasions, participated in the Greek Olympics, and founded a Greek city-state alliance known as the Panhellenion the year of Antinous's death.
Antinoopolis Bithynium philhellenism Hadrian Nile Antinous Classical Panhellenion Roman imperial cult