In 116 on the shores of the Persian Gulf, Emperor Trajan famously lamented that he was too old to follow in Alexander the Great's footsteps. What if he decided to go anyways?
WI: Trajan pushed east in 116
- Thread starter dissatisfieduser
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Even if he did the conquests would be short lived. To much overextention, huge borders, constant revolts on the new territories, Rome simply didn't had the resources to hold to major holdings in the west without compromising the western borders
Perhaps Trajan lamented. Perhaps just an ancient author wrote, that he lamented, because it sounds so nice. However I am sure, Trajan was no young dreamer like Alexander, but a pragmatic roman emperor, who knew, what is possible, and what makes sense from a strategic point of view and what not.
We discussed this already in this thread: https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=363731
Trajan would have had a hard time to secure Mesopotamia and Armenia. Actually he already had lost half of Armenia again in 117 and had to sign a rather unfavourable peace contract. Also the fact, that he implemented a parthian client king in Ctesiphon shows, that it was not that easy to provincialize and hold Central Mesopotamia. In North Mesopotamia his legate was still fighting and the desert region of Hatra in between was never conquered by romans.
So I don't see how Trajan not dying would change that much. Perhaps Trajan would try to provincialize and hold northern Mesopotamia like Severus and Diocletian did later.
We discussed this already in this thread: https://www.alternatehistory.com/discussion/showthread.php?t=363731
Trajan would have had a hard time to secure Mesopotamia and Armenia. Actually he already had lost half of Armenia again in 117 and had to sign a rather unfavourable peace contract. Also the fact, that he implemented a parthian client king in Ctesiphon shows, that it was not that easy to provincialize and hold Central Mesopotamia. In North Mesopotamia his legate was still fighting and the desert region of Hatra in between was never conquered by romans.
So I don't see how Trajan not dying would change that much. Perhaps Trajan would try to provincialize and hold northern Mesopotamia like Severus and Diocletian did later.