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[[File: Trajan Four.jpg|200px|thumb|left| Petra the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom, today]]
==Dacia==
The conquest of Dacia, which was a powerful military force in the Balkans and a real rival of Rome in the Balkans was a significant achievmentachievement. The Dacians has had been a problem for the Romans since the time of Julius Caesar. However , no Roman Emperor had been effectively able to contain them. The conquest of Trajan from a military point of view was remarkable as the kingdom consisted of fortified settlements in a mountainous region<ref>Cassius Dio, 10, 23</ref>. It has often been argued that Domitian helped to weaken the Dacians before the conquest in 106 AD. The addition of the old Dacian kingdom to the Empire, initially strengthened Rome. The gold mines of the area boosted the economy as did the new lands that were acquired. The annexation of the kingdom strengthened the Danube frontier and secured the Balkans for decades. However, many argue that the conquest of Dacia was ultimately a drain on the Empire. Moreover, over time as the Roman legions weakened it proved difficult to defend. In the crisis of the 3rd century , the province was abandoned to the Goths and other tribes<ref>Bennet, p 189</ref>. However, the territory had remained part of the Empire for 150 years and at least in the first century of Roman rule it brought the empire new revenues and was a bulwark against barbarian incursions. [[File: Trajan Two.jpg|200px|thumb|left|A relief showing a battle between Romans and Dacians]]
==Parthia and the East==
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. Furthermore, the efforts in Parthia left many areas poorly guarded and this was a factor in the Jewish Revolts that destabilized the eastern provinces. This threatened Roman control in the area. It cannot be denied that Trajan’s campaign weakened the Empire in the east. This forced Hadrian to evacuate the newly conquered lands to retrieve the situation and he is credited with effectively staving off a collapse in the east. However, Trajan achievements in the east were not transitory. In the longer term some of the conquests of the Emperor strengthened the Roman East. The conqueror of Dacia added two provinces in the east the Nabatean Kingdom (modern Jordan) and northern Mesopotamia (Northern Iraq). These provinces greatly added to the revenues of the Empire and also 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.
