Changes

Emperor Trajan (53-117 AD) has traditionally been regarded as one of the greatest Roman Emperors’, but modern historians have argued that his legacy was not wholly positive. This article will discuss the importance of this Emperor and his impact on the Empire. It will argue that his conquests while not always beneficial to the Empire did help to strengthen it for many decades.  His conquest in Dacia, Arabia, and Mesopotamia was of real benefit to the Empire. However, his conquests in Parthia were transitory and wasteful. Trajan was a dynamic administrator, and he did much to reverse some of the abuses that had developed under previous Emperors such as Domitian. Moreover, his domestic policies helped to improve the socio-economic condition in Italy.