A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

1168 TRAJANUS. TRAJANUS.
Maesia. Longinus, one of the generals of Trajan is stated elsewhere [IGNATIus]. The circumstancv~
was surprised by Decebalus in an ambuscade, and as told, are exceedingly improbable, and sound crio
the Dacian king offered to restore him, if Trajan ticism would lead us to reject the genuineness of
would grant peace, restore the country as far as the the narrative contained in the Martyrdom of Ig.
Danube, and pay the expenses of the war. Trajan, natius on the internal evidence alone.
who could not accept such terms as these, gave an From Antioch Trajan marched to Armenia, by
evasive answer, and in the mean time Longinus way of Samosata, on the Euphrates, which he took.
relieved the emperor from his difficulty by poison- He thence advanced to Satala, and Elegia, a town
ilng himself. In order to effect a communication in Armenia, where he granted Parthamasiris an
with the country north of the Danube, Apollo- interview. Parthamasiris had already written to
dorus the architect constructed, by Trajan's cornm- Trajan, and in his letter he assumed the title of
miand, a bridge over the river, which is described king. Trajan sent no answer, and he wrote again,
by Dion Cassius (lxviii. 13, and the valuable note dropping the title of king, and prayed that M.
of Reimarus), though his description is inaccurate, Junius, governor of Cappadocia, might be sent to
and his measurements exaggerated. " When the him: Trajan sent to him the son of Junius. The
water is very low, some of the piles stand two or Armenian king took the diadem from his head.
three feet above it." (Wilkinson's H'allachiad and and placed it at the feet of Trajan, who sat on his
Moldavia, p. 5.) The bridge was built at a place tribunal within the Roman camp. He expected
called Szernecz. The piers were of enormous size, that Trajan would give it back to him, but he was
but the arches were constructed of wood. Trajan told that Armenia was now a Roman province, and
crossed the Danube on his new bridge, and entered lie was sent away escorted by some horsemen.
Dacia. He found great obstacles in this country, The kings of tne countries bordering on Armenia
where there were no roads, and every thing was made a form of submission to the Roman emperor
almost in a state of nature. Hadrian commanded the king of the Iberi, of the Sauromatae, of Colchis,
a legion under the emperor, and greatly distin- and others.
guished himself in this Dacian campaign. De- Trajan returned by way of Edessa, where he
cebalus being defeated on every side, killed himself, was well received by the cautious Abgarus, king
and his head was carried to Rome. Dacia was re- of Osrhoene, who now made his apology for not
duced to the form of a Roman province; strong having paid the emperor a visit at Antioch, and
forts were built in various places, and Roman co- through the interest of his son Arbandes, whom
lonies were planted. It is generally supposed that Trajan had seen and liked, the king of Osrhoene
the column at Rome called the Column of Trajan was excused for his former want of respect. The
was erected to commemorate his Dacian victories. transactions with some of the petty chieftains of
On his return Trajan had a triumph, and he ex- Mesopotamia hardly merit a notice, but military
hibited games to the people for one hundred and operations in this country are dangerous enough
twenty-three days, a time long enough to satisfy even without a formidable enemy, and the emperor
the avidity of the Romans for these spectacles. set his soldiers an exanmple of endurance, which
Eleven thousand animals were slaughtered during may have been an act of prudence as of hardihood.
these amusements; and an army of gladiators, The town of Singar (Sinjrar) is one of those which
ten thousand men, gratified the Romans by killing are mentioned as having been taken by the Romans.
one another. We must assume that there was at The history of this campaign of Trajain is lost, and
least another army as large to prevent the outbreak the few scattered notices that remain of it do not
of so many desperate men. Probably many of enable us to construct even a probable narrative.
these gladiators were prisoners. (A. D. 105.) In fact the period from A. D. 108 to A. D. 115 is
About this time Arabia Petraea was subjected nearly a blank; it is even doubful whether Trajan
to the empire by A. Cornelius Palma, the governor ever returned to Rome. The year A. D. 112 was
of Syria; and an Indian embassy came to Rome. the sixth and last consulship of Trajan, and there
Trajan constructed a road across the Pomptine is some slight evidence which renders it probable
marshes, and built magnificent bridges across the that he was at Rome in this year.
streams. Buildings, probably mansiones, were con- In the spring of A.. D. 115 he left Syria on h is
structed by the side of this road. Hie also called Parthian expedition. He had constructed boats of
in all the old money, and issued a new coinage. the timber which the forests near Nisibis supplied,
In the autumn of B. C. J 06 Trajan left Rome to and they were conveyed on waggons to the Tigris,
make war on the Armenians and the Parthians. for the formation of a bridge of boats. Ile crossed
The pretext for the war was that Exedares, the the river and advanced into the country of Adiabene,
king of Armenia, had received the diadem from the an event which is recorded by an extant medal.
Parthian king, and he ought to have received it The whole of this country, in which were situated
from the Roman emperor, as Tiridates had received Gaugamela and Arbela, places memorable in the
it from Nero. When Chosroes, the Parthian king, history of Alexander, was subdued. From Adiaknew that Trajan was seriously bent on war, he bene he marched to Babylon, according to Dion
sent ambassadors, who found Trajan at Athens, Cassius (lxviii. 26), and he must therefore have reand, in the name of Chosroes, offered him presents, crossed the Tigris. His course was through tlhe
and informed him that Chosroes had deposed Exe- desert to the Euphrates, and past the site of I-lit
dares, and begged him to confer the crown on Par- (Is), where he saw the springs of bitumen, which
thamasiris. Trajan refused his presents, and said was used for cement at Babylon, and which liethat when he arrived ill Syria he would do what rodotus has described. Trjan meditated (Dion
was proper. He reached Seleucia in Syria in the Cass.) the formation of a canal from the Euphrates
month of December, and entered Antioch early in to the Tigris, in order that he might convey his
the following January. The evidence for the in- boats along it, and construct a bridge over the
terview at Antioch between the emperor and Igna- lower course of the Tigris. We must suppose tlilt
tius, which ended in the condemnation of Ignatius, the bridge of boats over the upper Tigris in Adia