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<youtube>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v==Introduction==qGvFPsPyXkY</youtube> __NOTOC__The Emperor [[File: Trajan (53-117 ADOne.jpg|250px|thumb|left|A bust of Trajan]] Emperor Trajan (53-117 AD) has traditionally been regarded as one of the greatest Roman Emperors’Emperors (ruled from 98 to 117 AD), but modern historians have argued that his legacy was not wholly mixed. Trajan's reign led to both positive. This article will discuss the importance of this Emperor and his impact on impacts on the Roman 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 While Trajan's foreign invasion of Dacia, Arabia , and Mesopotamia were of created real benefit to the Empire, however, his conquests in Parthia were transitory 's conquest was ephemeral and wasteful. On the domestic side, Trajan was a dynamic administrator , and he did much to reverse some of the abuses that had developed under previous Emperors such as Domitian. MoreoverAdditionally, his domestic policies helped to improve the socio-economic condition in Italy.[[File: Trajan One.jpg|200px|thumb|left|A bust of While Rome benefitted from many of his conquests and policies, Parthia's invasion almost led to disaster, and his gains were short-lived. After Trajan]]'s death, Hadrian was forced to abandon Parthia. ==BackgroundHow did Trajan become the Roman Emperor?==[[File: Trajan Two.jpg|250px|thumbnail|left|A relief showing a battle between Romans and Dacians]] 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 at this time. 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>. His father was a general and governor and was later enrolled in the Senate. Trajan grew up in Rome , and he served with his father in Syria , and he later enjoyed the favour favor of the Emperor Domitian and in . In 91 AD , he served as consul.</ref>Bennet, p . 34</ref>. In 96 AD , Domitian was assassinated in a conspiracy , and Nerva ascended the throne. Trajan was governor of Lower Germany and was in command of several legions , and was a very important an essential power broker in the years after the Domitian's death of Domitian. Nerva , who was advanced in years , adopted him as his son and heir.<ref/>Bennet, p 46</ref>. ==When did Emperor Trajan become an Emperor?==[[File: Trajan TwoFour.jpg|200px250px|thumbthumbnail|left|A relief showing a battle between Romans and DaciansPetra the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom, today]]==Reign of Trajan==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. After a series of civil wars that had weakened the Empire, Trajan was very much a builder and he helped to finance many public buildings structures and ordered the building of many aqueducts and . He also prohibited wasteful expenditure on festivals. He Trajan also initiated a series of social welfare reforms. ==What did Trajan also do as Emperor?==Trajan successfully overhauled the administration of the Empire and ended abuses by Senators. His domestic policy achievements are impressive, but his main focus was always on military glory. He abandoned the policy of Augustus, of not seeking to expand the Empire.<ref>Suetonius, Life of Augustus, xxv</ref>. Only Britain had been was added to the Empire since the First Emperor's death of the first Emperor. Trajan was determined to expand Rome’s borders , and for the first time in a century , he pursued an active policy of conquest. In modern Romania, a powerful confederation of Thracian tribes, the Dacians had proven a formidable foe and had defeated Roman governors in the past. Trajan after After careful preparations , Trajan invaded Dacia and , in 101-102 , reduced the Dacian kingdom to the vassal status of a vassal. However, in 105 , the Dacians revolted , and Trajan invaded the area and , in a series of bloody campaigns , ended the revolt with the capture of the capital Sarmizegethusa (106 AD). Dacian resistance was ended with the suicide of their king and chief priest, Decalbus. Trajan organised organized the kingdom into a Roman Province , and he encouraged settlers from all over the Empire to settle in the new territory.<ref> Schmitz, Michael The Dacian Threat, 101–106 AD. Armidale, Australia: Caeros Pty, 2005), p 134</ref>. Trajan was a restless figure , and he seems to have sought to emulate the achievements of Alexander the Great and Julius Caesar.<ref> Csassius Cassius Dio, Roman History, book 68, xi</ref>. He recruited a large army for the invasion of Parthia, the Romans ' greatest enemy. First, he annexed the Nabatean Kingdom with its famous capital of Petra to secure his flank. The Parthian campaign began in 105/106 AD , and it took place at when a time when series of civil wars had weakened that Empire had been weakened by a series of civil wars. Despite this its problems, the Parthians defended their territories fiercely. They even placed a puppet on the throne of Armenia in 110 AD.<ref>Bennet, p 101</ref>. Trajan launched a ferocious counter-attack and , recaptured Armenia , and later conquered Northern Mesopotamia (modern North Iraq) and organized it into a province. He built a road to link the province to the rest of the Empire , and this allowed his legions to strike deep into the heart of the Parthian Empire. In 115 , he marched his army down the Tigris River , and he swiftly captured the Parthian summer capital of Ctesiphon and advanced down the Tigris to the Persian Gulf.<ref>Cassius Dio, 68, 17</ref>. He annexed the entire area of modern Iraq and incorporated it into the Empire. An anecdote is told that when Trajan saw the Persian Gulf , he wept because he was too old to conquer the rest of the known world. In 116, while in Antioch, the Emperor nearly died in an earthquake , and a series of revolts broke out across the Roman territories in the east.<ref>Cassius Dio, 10, 19</ref>. A serious severe Jewish revolt broke out in several areas of the eastern Mediterraneanareas. Trajan was ill and old and decided to journey back to Rome, but he died in 116 AD, in Asia Minor. The Emperor had no children and adopted Hadrian , an experienced soldier , and governor. After Trajan’s death , Hadrian became ruler of the Roman World. [[File: ==Why did Trajan Four.jpg|200px|thumb|left| Petra the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom, today]] ==want Rome to conquer Dacia?==Dacia==The 's 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 Trajan's 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. <dh-ad/> == Why did Trajan's invasion of the Parthian Empire almost fail?==[[File: Trajan TwoThree.jpg|200px|thumbthumbnail|left|A relief showing a battle between Romans and DaciansTrajan’s Column in Rome]]==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 Parthian Empire's 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 Parthia's efforts in Parthia left many areas poorly guarded and this was a factor in the , which led to Jewish Revolts revolts that destabilized the eastern provinces. This threatened Roman did not have any meaningful control in the areaover this region. It cannot be denied that Trajan’s campaign fundamentally weakened the Empire in the east. This Hadrian was forced Hadrian to evacuate the newly conquered conquer these lands to retrieve the situation and he is credited with effectively staving stave off a complete 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 Dacia's 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 Empire's 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. [[File: ==How did Trajan Three.jpg|200px|thumb|left| Trajan’s Column in change the domestic policies of Rome]]==Domestic Policy?==The Roman Empire was at its zenith during the reign of Trajan. However, he , like the Senate members of the Senate , was worried about the relative decline of Italy. It had not prospered as much as the other Imperial territories. The Italy's 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>. Trajan used much of the booty from his conquests on public works in the Italian cities such as Rome. This was to boost the urban economies and to encourage the landed aristocracy to spend more time in cities. Trajan also ordered Senators from the provinces, to own land in Italy. This was to ensure ensured that the Senatorial elite, irrespective of their origin , had links with Rome and Italy. Trajan also introduced the alimieta, this . This was a charitable scheme and it . It was a variety of subsidies to local communities.<ref>Alston, p . 118</ref>. It involved the regular distribution of money to only the public but only to Italian communities. It also seems that it helped to improve the lot lives of poor Italians , and infanticide was much the alimieta even reduced because of the payment number of the alimieta There are those who believe that infanticide instances. Trajan developed this policy to strengthen Italy, and therefore the core of the Empire. This was to ensure ensured that Italians remained preeminent in the Roman Empire. The Emperor’s policy was at least partially successful, because it arrested the decline in Italy and it . It was adopted by later Emperors.<ref>Bennet, p 119</ref>. Trajan has been criticized for his many wars and , especially for his devaluation of the coinage. This it is believed to set a dangerous precedent for later Emperors ; however, Trajan left his successor Hadrian with a healthy treasury , and the economy was well-managed during his reign. The conqueror of the Dacians Trajan was an able administrator and , unlike his predecessors , respected the constitution and the Rome's laws of Rome. Trajan enacted some laws that improved the status of slaves , and it became illegal for masters to abandon old slaves. He forbade the use of informers , and there were no treason trials during his years in power. Trajan did not rule as an autocrat like so many of his predecessors .<ref>Pliny the Younger, Letter 10. 68</ref>. It has been stated that he gave the Empire its longest period of stability and good government in its history. <ref>Bennet, p. 10</ref> ==ConclusionWas Trajan a Good Emperor?==The Emperor Trajan has been acclaimed as a great Emperor , but he was also as an egomaniac who loved war and who . Ultimately his actions seriously undermined the Empire. The truth is that Trajan had many achievements but also some glaring failures. His conquest expanded the Empire and generated new revenues for Rome , and improved its strategic position with regard to concerning its enemies. However, his adventures in Parthia were costly and could have ended in disaster and most . Most of them had to be relinquished by the Emperor his gains were lost during Hadrian's reign. Trajan’s domestic policy had some successes , such as his efforts to strengthen Italy and his reform of the penal code with regard to concerning slaves. His administration of the Empire was excellent, and the economy thrived under him. Trajan can be regarded as a great Emperor and justifies the acclaim that he received from his fellow Romans in the centuries after his death. ====Suggested Reading====
Alston, Richard Aspects of Roman History 31BC-AD117 (Abingdon: Routledge, 2014)
Isaac, B. The Limits of Empire, The Roman Army in the East, Revised Edition (Oxford University Press, 1990)
Stadter, Philip A., and Luc Van der Stockt, eds. Sage and emperor: Plutarch, Greek intellectuals, and Roman power in the time of Trajan (98-117 AD). Vol. 29. Leuven University Press, 2002. ====References====<references/>{{Contributors}} [[Category:Wikis]][[Category:Roman History]][[Category:European History]]