Emperors of Rome | Pax Augusta: Nerva and Trajan (Lecture 20)

Lecture 20: The murder of Domitian terminated the Flavian Dynasty, creating the potential for civil war. On this occasion, the Senate picked one of its own, the aged Nerva, as the new emperor. Nerva was unknown to the soldiers, and over the course of his brief reign, their grumblings grew louder. To obviate the threat of violent usurpation, Nerva adopted the popular governor of Upper Germany, Trajan, as his son and successor, then had the good sense to die. With Trajan’s adoption came the period of the Roman Empire’s greatest strength and stability under the socalled Antonine (or Adoptive) Dynasty. From 98 until 180, emperors tended to adopt their successors from among able and recognized army commanders. Trajan himself was moderate at home and warlike abroad, a perfect mix for Roman sentiments. He embarked on a major campaign in Dacia (modern Romania), which is depicted in one of the most remarkable monuments to survive from Roman antiquity: Trajan’s Column in Rome. The lecture ends with a description of the column and an assessment of its value as evidence for Trajan’s Dacian wars.

Essential Reading:
Cassius Dio, Roman History, book 68.
Dio Chrysostom, Orations, 1–4.
Pliny, Panegyric.
Bennett, Trajan Optimus Princeps: A Life and Times, especially chapters 1–8.

Supplementary Reading:
Coarelli, The Column of Trajan.
DIR, “Nerva,” “Trajan.”
Rossi, Trajan’s Column and the Dacian Wars.