After the Emperor Trajan's campaigns against Parthia in 114 to 117 had taken Armenia and Mesopotamia and reached the Persian Gulf, the Roman Empire covered about 5 million square kilometres, from the Atlantic coast of Spain and Britain to the Euphrates and from the Rhine and Danube to the Sahara. Perhaps 60 million people lived under Roman rule. Trajan died in August 117, and his successor Hadrian gave up the newly conquered eastern provinces as impossible to hold, and chose to consolidate the frontiers with walls and forts. The empire never again expanded significantly.
Before and after
- 105 CECai Lun reports the invention of paper
- from 106 CE to 107 CETrajan conquers Dacia
- 113 CETrajan's Column
- from 115 CE to 117 CETrajan's Parthian campaign
- 117 CEThe Roman Empire reaches its greatest extent
- 7 August 117 CEDeath of Trajan
- 2nd centuryRise of Montanism
- 26 April 121 CEBirth of Marcus Aurelius
- 122 CEConstruction of Hadrian's Wall
More in Civilizations & archaeology
- c. 1,200 BCEIron Age
- c. 700s BCEConstruction of Great Wall of China
- from 206 BCE to 220 CEHan dynasty
- 200 BCEOrigins of Nazca Lines
- 19 BCEConstruction of Western Wall
- from 476 CE to 1492Middle Ages
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 2nd century.