Naked Imperialism, Thinly Covered by Propaganda: Rome Under Trajan

A History of Mankind (268)

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The sixteen-month reign of Nerva (r. 96-98) was a mere footnote in Roman history, characterized by one very important decision that may have had little to do with Nerva himself: apparently, early in his reign a call was made so that Christians were recognized as legally separate from Jews, and not required to pay the so-called Fiscus Judaicus tax anymore.

Nerva’s successor Trajan (r. 98-117), on the contrary, became one of the most important and better-regarded emperors in Roman history. A man hailing from Hispania, like so many prominent Romans of the era, he was an efficient administrator and a master of propaganda who presented a handful of successful, albeit largely fruitless, campaigns into exemplary victories for the ages¹; for centuries, being a better emperor than Trajan was consider a high aspiration indeed, and Christians – thankful for a lull in persecutions – hailed him as a virtuous pagan².

Understanding like Domitian that the empire’s popular classes were growing disaffected from upper-class perversions and enjoyments, Trajan – an upper-classman through and through, son of a provincial who rose to governor of Syria – was more effective at replaying Augustus’ role as patriarchal morals arbiter, despite his own personal tastes. This was partly because, unlike Domitian, he had the support of the senatorial class that wrote history.