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[[File: DOMITIAN TWO.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Bust of the Emperor Vespasian]]
==The Economy and the Administration==
Perhaps the greatest achievement of Domitian was in his administration of the Empire. Even his biographer Suetonius who wrote an unflattering portrait of the last of the Flavians admitted that he was a great administrator and that the Imperial government was run very efficiently during his reign. Moreover, his efforts to remove the Senators from high office seems to have led to a reduction in corruption and led to the establishment of a very professional bureaucracy. Domitian helped to lay the foundation for an administration that was to serve the Empire very well and contributed much to the stability of the Roman World after his death<ref>Jones, p 301</ref>. Moreover, his reform of the coinage and the tax system was very important. He raised the value of silver in the Roman coinage and this increased trust in it and this stimulated trade and commerce <ref>Syme, Ronald "The Imperial Finances under Domitian, Nerva and Trajan". The Journal of Roman Studies. 20 (1930) , pp 55–70 </ref>. Moreover, the strong currency ensured that inflation was kept in checked and this benefitted the entire economy. Domitian’s reform of the tax system helped to generate more revenues for the Empire and this helped to finance in future years the campaigns of Trajan and the many construction projects Hadrian. Without the last of the Flavians fiscal reforms the achievements of the Roman World in the 2nd century AD many never have occurred<ref> Syme, p. 67</ref>. [[File: DOMITIAN TWO.jpg|200px|thumb|left|Bust of the Emperor Vespasian]]
==Military Achievements of Domitian==
The Emperor had himself acclaimed as Imperator or victor at least twenty times. During his reign there were important campaigns against in Britain, Germany and the Balkans. Initially, his general Agricola conquered a large area of northern Britain and Scotland<ref>Tacitus, The Agricola, xv</ref>. However, Domitian ordered him to abandon most of his gains. This was because he was conscious of the need to establish a rational defensive line in Britain. Tacitus, the great Roman historian believed that Agricola could have conquered all of Scotland and even Ireland with the support of the Emperor <ref>Tacitus, Agricola, xv</ref>. However, Domitian followed the policy of Augustus he was focused on protecting and strengthening the Imperial frontier, rather than expansion. This was also the case with his campaigns in Germany where he sought only to counter the threat posed to the frontier by German tribes such as the Chatti. These defensive campaigns were often regarded as defeats in the sources who were all hostile to the last of the Flavian Emperors. However, the most controversial of Domitian’s campaigns were in the Balkans where he had to deal with the threat posed by the powerful Dacian kingdom<ref>Suetonius, xiv, iii</ref>. In 85 the Dacians, led by King Decebalus, invaded the province of Moesia and they killed the governor. A counter-attack was ordered by Domitian and this drove the Dacians back, but a punitive invasion of their territories resulted in the defeat of a large Roman army. Domitian rushed to the Danube frontier and reorganized the frontier provinces. He also ordered another invasion of Dacia and in 88 AD, the legions inflicted a heavy defeat on King Decebalus and even threated his capital, Sarmizegetusa. It seems that Domitian was about to conquer the Dacians but trouble on the Rhine forestalled this. A treaty was signed, and Dacia became a client kingdom of Rome, but the Empire was obliged to pay Decebalus a subsidy. This was a curious arrangement and many of the sources, including Suetonius and Tacitus claim that the payments made to the Dacians were a form of tribute and indicate that Domitian was defeated on the Danube. The Roman Emperor had neutralized the Dacians and they were reduced to the status of a clients of the Emperor. The Domitian strategy in the Balkans were a success and it helped to secure the Danube frontier. What is more, according to many modern historians, believe that the last of the Flavian Dynasty laid down the foundation for the eventual conquest of Dacia by Trajan <ref> Adrian Goldsworthy, Adrian. In the Name of Rome (London, Orion, 2004), p. 298</ref>.
