Rome and the Empire: Trajan and Hadrian

Service Description

The Emperor Trajan went down in Roman history as an example of a 'good emperor,' and the empire reached its greatest extent during his reign. We will look at his achievements in Rome and Italy, in the military, and around the empire, and what they meant for Rome. In what ways was he different from other emperors, and why was he seen as a 'good emperor' when so many of his predecessors were seen as famously bad emperors? Hadrian was a very different character from Trajan, known for his love of culture and travel. What were his achievements, and how did they compare to Trajan's? How was he perceived by the Romans and throughout the empire? And how have these two emperors been received throughout history? We will look at how the ancient sources presented each of the emperors, and what we can learn from them; we will also see what the archaeological evidence reveals, and ways in which recent historians have interpreted the evidence. Students will have an opportunity to make a presentation to the group on a good or bad emperor of their choice in the last class of the course if they would like to.