Roman Empire reaches its greatest territorial extent under Trajan
- Date
- 117 CE
- Category
- Military & conflict
- Region
- Roman Empire (Mediterranean and Near East)
- Era
- Classical Antiquity
- Significance
At the death of the emperor Trajan in 117 CE, the Roman Empire reached its maximum territorial extent, spanning roughly 5 million square kilometres from the Atlantic and Britain to the Persian Gulf, and from the Rhine and Danube to the Sahara.
Trajan's conquest of Dacia (modern Romania) in two wars (101–102 and 105–106 CE) yielded vast gold wealth and was commemorated by Trajan's Column in Rome, while his Parthian campaigns from 114 CE annexed Armenia and Mesopotamia and reached the Persian Gulf. The eastern gains proved fragile: revolts erupted across the Jewish diaspora and the newly seized provinces, and Trajan's successor Hadrian almost immediately withdrew from Mesopotamia and Armenia to consolidate defensible frontiers. The moment nonetheless marks the apogee of Roman power and the high point of the Pax Romana, after which imperial policy shifted decisively from expansion toward the defence and management of fixed borders.
One piece of history in your inbox, weekly
New empires, events and features as they land — one good email a week. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
Empires active in 117 CE
- Roman Empire27 BCE – 476 CE
- Han Dynasty202 BCE – 220 CE
- Kingdom of Funan50 CE – 550 CE
- Zapotec State of Monte Albán500 BCE – 800 CE
- Kushan Empire30 CE – 375 CE
- Parthian Empire247 BCE – 224 CE
Related military & conflict events
- Bar Kokhba revolt and the renaming of Judaea to Syria Palaestina132–135 CE
- Battle of Actium ends the Hellenistic age2 September 31 BCE
- Yellow Turban Rebellion weakens the Han184 CE
- Battle of the Teutoburg Forest halts Roman expansion in GermaniaSeptember 9 CE
- Shapur I captures Emperor Valerian at the Battle of Edessa260 CE
- Caesar's Gallic Wars and the Siege of Alesia58–50 BCE (Alesia 52 BCE)
Further reading
The wider story
SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome
Bestselling single-volume history of Rome by a leading classicist.
Get it on Amazon →As an Amazon Associate, Human Saga earns from qualifying purchases.