Trajan
Topic: The Roman Empire · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "An Empire Across Three Continents"
Meaning
Trajan was a Roman emperor (98–117 CE). Under him the empire reached its greatest size, around 115 CE. He fought the only major war of conquest of the early empire. His armies occupied land across the Euphrates from 113 to 117. But the rulers after him gave up these lands. This matches the general Roman view of the time that the empire was already big enough.
Example
It is said that when Trajan reached the Persian Gulf, he watched a merchant ship sailing off to India. He wished he were as young as Alexander the Great, who had marched as far as India.
Don't confuse with
- Augustus: he founded the empire and is remembered for peace. Trajan is remembered for his short-lived conquests in the east.