Death and succession Trajan

the alcántara bridge, hailed masterpiece of roman engineering



statue of trajan @ tower hill, london

early in 117, trajan grew ill , set out sail italy. health declined throughout spring , summer of 117, publicly acknowledged fact bronze bust displayed @ time in public baths of ancyra showed him aged , emaciated. after reaching selinus (modern gazipasa) in cilicia, afterwards called trajanopolis, died edema on august 8. trajan had adopted hadrian successor, others wife pompeia plotina assured succession hadrian keeping death secret , afterwards hiring impersonate trajan speaking tired voice behind curtain, after trajan had died. dio, tells narrative, offers father – the governor of cilicia apronianus – as source, , therefore narrative possibly grounded on contemporary rumor. may originate in roman displeasure @ empress meddling in political affairs. had reigned 19 years, longer since tiberius, broken hadrian.

hadrian held ambiguous position during trajan s reign. after commanding legio minervia during dacian wars, had been relieved front-line duties @ decisive stage of second dacian war, being sent govern newly created province of pannonia inferior. had pursued senatorial career without particular distinction , had not been officially adopted trajan (although received him decorations , other marks of distinction made him hope succession). received no post after 108 consulate, , no further honours other being made archon eponymos athens in 111/112. did not take part in parthian war. literary sources relate trajan had considered others, such jurist lucius neratius priscus, heir. however, hadrian, entrusted governorship of syria @ time of trajan s death, trajan s cousin , married trajan s grandniece, made him heir designate. in addition hadrian born in hispania , seems have been connected powerful group of spanish senators influential @ trajan s court through ties plotina , prefect attianus. fact during hadrian s reign did not pursue trajan s senatorial policy may account crass hostility shown him literary sources.

aware parthian campaign enormous setback, , revealed roman empire had no means ambitious program of conquests, hadrian s first act emperor abandon – outwardly out of own free will – the distant , indefensible mesopotamia , restore armenia, osrhoene, parthian hegemony under roman suzerainty. however, other territories conquered trajan retained. roman friendship ties charax (also known name of mesene) retained (although debated whether had more trade concessions common roman policy of exploiting dissensions amid empire s neighbors). trajan s ashes laid rest underneath trajan s column, monument commemorating success.