110 – 120s

Events in the 110s 2

• 98 – 117 Trajan — greatest territorial extent Trajan, born in Spain — the first non-Italian emperor — expands the empire to its greatest territorial extent. He conquers Dacia (modern Romania, 101–102, 105–106 AD) and campaigns in the east, briefly annexing Mesopotamia. Trajan's Column in Rome records the Dacian campaigns in 2,662 figures spiralling around 23 scenes. He is the only emperor the Senate accorded the title "Optimus Princeps" — best of emperors. He also conducts the largest building programme since Augustus: markets, forum, column, harbour at Ostia.
• 117 – 138 Hadrian — the consolidator Hadrian abandons Trajan's eastern conquests, recognising they are indefensible, and devotes his reign to consolidating and fortifying the empire's frontiers. He builds Hadrian's Wall across northern Britain (122–128 AD) — 73 miles of stone — and travels personally to almost every province. A passionate philhellene, he rebuilds Athens and completes the temple of Olympian Zeus. He reorganises the bureaucracy, codifies Roman law and builds the Pantheon — still the best-preserved building of ancient Rome, its concrete dome unsurpassed for 1,300 years.