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There had been no serious efforts to conquer large areas of the Parthian Empire since the time of Mark Anthony. Trajan wanted to conquer all or at least part of the Empire. However, it was a vast, sprawling and diverse polity and the Romans could never have absorbed it even with their vast resources and capabilities. Trajan had been accused of megalomania because of his ambitions in the east. Despite his capture of Ctesiphon and the annexation of the western sections of the Parthian Empire, the Romans never really controlled the majority of the new territories. The campaign in the East overstrained the resources of the Romans. It left the legions in Mesopotamia isolated, and they were on the point of being cut-off when Trajan died.

[[File: Trajan Three.jpg|200px|thumb|left| Trajan’s Column in Rome]]

====Domestic Policy====

The Roman Empire was at its zenith during the reign of Trajan. However, he like the members of the Senate was worried about the relative decline of Italy. It had not prospered as much as the other Imperial territories. The population of Italy was falling, and many were worried about the reduced number of Italians who were serving in the legions.<ref>Alston, Richard Aspects of Roman History 31BC-AD117 (Abingdon, Routledge, 2014),p. 115</ref>