Trajan: Optimus Princeps
Julian Bennett, "Trajan: Optimus Princeps"
English | 1997 | ISBN: 0415165245 | 348 pages | PDF | 8 MB
English | 1997 | ISBN: 0415165245 | 348 pages | PDF | 8 MB
The emperor Trajan (A.D. 53-117) is one of the very few Roman emperors who, over the centuries, has always been seen in a good light. He is remembered for his expansion of the Empire, his monumental public-works projects, and his refusal to persecute the Empire's Christian minority.
The very substance of his glorious reputation, however, is tested by Julian Bennett in this comprehensive biography - - the first since 1927 and the first ever in English. While the period as a whole is ill-served by the extant literary evidence, Bennett supplements this with a thorough examination of the contemporary archaeological and epigraphic evidence, covering every major aspect of Trajan's reign. Although some of his original suggestions may remain speculative, his central conclusion is that Trajan's contemporary reputation as Optimus Princeps seems to have been richly deserved.
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