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[[File: Trajan One.jpg|200px|thumb|left|A bust of Trajan]]
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 not wholly at best mixed. Trajan reign led to both positiveimpacts on the Roman Empire. This article will discuss While Trajan's foreign invasion Dacia, Arabia, and Mesopotamia created real benefit to the importance Empire, his conquest of this Emperor Parthia was ephemeral and wasteful. On the domestic side, Trajan was a dynamic administrator, and his impact on he did much to reverse some of the Empireabuses that had developed under previous Emperors such as Domitian. It will argue that Additionally, his conquests while not always beneficial domestic policies helped to improve the Empire did help to strengthen it for many decadessocio-economic condition in Italy.
====BackgroundHow did Trajan become the Roman Emperor?====
[[File: Trajan Two.jpg|200px|thumb|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 favor of Emperor Domitian, and 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 power broker in the years after the death of Domitian. Nerva who was advanced in years adopted him as his son and heir.<ref>Bennet, p 46</ref>
====Reign of When did Emperor Trajanrule the Roman Empire?====
[[File: Trajan Four.jpg|300px|thumb|left| Petra the capital of the Nabatean Kingdom, today]]
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. Trajan was very much After a buildera series of civil wars that had weakened that Empireand he the Empire, Trajan 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 do as Emperor?====Trajan also 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 was added to the Empire since the 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 careful preparations invaded Dacia and in 101-102 reduced the Dacian kingdom to the 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 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> Cassius Dio, Roman History, book 68, xi</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 severe Jewish revolt broke out in several areas of the eastern Mediterranean. 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.
====Why did Trajan want Rome to conquer Dacia?====The conquest of Dacia, a powerful military force in the Balkans and a real rival of Rome, was a significant achievement. The Dacians 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.
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====Parthia and the EastWhy did Trajan's invasion of 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 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 PolicyHow did Trajan change the domestic policies of Rome?====
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>
Trajan was an able administrator and unlike his predecessors respected the constitution and the 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 its enemies.
However, his adventures in Parthia were costly and could have ended in disaster. Most of his gains had to be relinquished by 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 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====
