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Emperor Trajan (53-117 AD) has traditionally been regarded as one of the greatest Roman Emperors (ruled from 98 to 117 AD), but modern historians have argued that his legacy was mixed. Trajan's reign led to both positive impacts on the Roman Empire. While Trajan's foreign invasion of Dacia, Arabia, and Mesopotamia created real benefit to the Empire, Parthia's conquest was ephemeral and wasteful.

==How did Trajan become the Roman Emperor?==

Trajan’s reign (98-117 AD) occurred at perhaps one of the greatest eras in Roman History. In the First Century A.D., the economy of Rome had been expanding for many years, and the Empire continued to expand. The period witnessed a cultural renaissance, and many of the great Latin writers wrote their greatest works. Successive Emperors maintained the system that was perfected by Augustus, which was an imperial system that shared power with the Senatorial elite. This system had provided stability to a large part of Europe and the Near East. Marcus Ulpius Traianus was born in what is now modern Spain and was of Italian descent.<ref> Bennett, Julian. Trajan. Optimus Princeps. (Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 2001), p. 18</ref>

==When did Emperor Trajan become an Emperor?==

In 98 AD, Trajan became Emperor after the death of Nerva. Trajan proved to be an energetic ruler and immediately reduced the influence of the Praetorian Guard.<ref> Mommsen, Theodor A History of Rome Under the Emperors (London: Routledge, 1999), p 113</ref> He secured support by offering donations to the legions and the population of Rome and reduced taxes.

== Why did Trajan's invasion of the Parthian Empire almost fail?==

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 Parthian Empire's western sections, 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.

In the longer term, some of the conquests of the Emperor strengthened the Roman East. Dacia's conqueror added two provinces in the east, the Nabatean Kingdom (modern Jordan) and northern Mesopotamia (Northern Iraq). These provinces greatly added to the Empire's revenues and strengthened the Roman strategic position in the region. The province of Mesopotamia meant that Rome could keep Parthia on the defensive. Roman supremacy was not challenged for over a century in the Ancient Near East.

==How did Trajan change the domestic policies of Rome?==