Roman Empire: 2. 96–180

Abstract

Abstract From a number of perspectives, the period from 96 ce (the death of the emperor Domitian and the accession of Nerva) to 180 ce (the death of Marcus Aurelius) represents the high point of the Roman Empire. It reached its greatest territorial extent in the reign of Trajan (98–117 ce ), and its population peaked before the empire‐wide plague of 165 ce . The imperial succession functioned smoothly through a process of adoption that prevented civil wars like those of 69 ce and 193–197 ce , and for the most part emperors of this period both sought and received the support of the traditional ruling class. Perhaps more importantly, while the actual and ideological roles of the emperor and the imperial capital remained paramount, and exploitation of provincial territory remained a key component of Roman imperialism, the period was characterized by crucial shifts in the relationship between center and peripheries. The Roman Empire was no longer just its capital and its subject territories, but for the first time, in some senses at least, a substantially integrated polity.