16.3 Europe: a.d. 101 to 200  (Page 6/3)

Europe

Back to Europe: 0 to A.D. 100

Southern europe

Eastern mediterranean islands

Part of the Roman Empire.

Greece

The home place of the Hellenic world enjoyed an "Indian summer" which was mistaken for a "Golden Age". A thousand city-states lived peacefully together but an impalpable censorship from the Roman overseers was already slowly eliminating intellectual and artistic vitality. At the end of the century the Germanic Costobii raided down through Greece to within 14 miles of Athens. (Ref. 48 )

Upper balkans

Almost all of the present day Balkans belonged to the Roman Empire, including Dacia or Romania, Moesia or Bulgaria,Thracia and Dalmatia. The very northern portions of Romania and Bulgaria may have been outside the Roman jurisdiction, in the large area known then as Sarmatia and extending over into Russia on the north shore of the Black Sea. In the upper Balkan area, however, only Romania can be said to have been truly Latinized.

Italy

The first half of the century, under Emperors Trajan and Hadrian and their immediate successors, was one of the great periods of the empire, with general prosperity and with limited exceptions, such as the Romano-Jewish Wars and Armenian squabbles, a period of peace. The Mediterranean world had a fullness of life not seen before or since. The Greek spirit ruled the mind and the East, while the Roman spirit ruled the state and the West. Under Trajan the empire reached its greatest geographical extent, as indicated on the map and in the summary of the empire at A.D. 117 to follow.

• AFRICA. All of Egypt and the north African coast, including Mauretania, Syrtica and Marmarica.
• THE NEAR EAST. A portion of Arabia, all of the eastern Mediterranean coast, all of Syria, Iraq, Media in Persia, Asia Minor, including Bithynia, Pontus and Cappadocia, Cilicia, Lycaonia, Gallatia and Armenia.
• EUROPE
  • SOUTHERN EUROPE. Greece and most of the Balkan area, including Dacia (Romania), Moesia (Bulgaria), Thracia and Dalmatia (southern Bulgaria, European Turkey, Yugoslavia and Croatia), and all of Italy and Sicily.
  • B. CENTRAL EUROPE. The Austrian-Hungary area, known then as Pannonia, Noricum and Baetia, and those parts of present day Germany which lie west of the Rhine and south of the Danube, including Bavaria, Switzerland and the parts of Germany about the Black Forest.
  • NOTE: Insert Map 29. THE ROMAN EMPIRE AT THE DEATH OF TRAJAN A.D.
  • WESTERN EUROPE. Hispania (Spain and Portugal), Brittanica (England and Wales), Gallia and Belgica, etc.

The empire was surrounded by Germania, Sarmatia, Parthia and the remainder of Arabia.

A few words about the emperors themselves seems indicated. Trajan was the first emperor to have been born outside Italy, coming from a Roman colonial family living in Spain. He lived simply and was a tireless administrator who completed extensive public works including roads, buildings, bridges and aqueducts. He awarded 5,000 scholarships to needy students and he financed secondary schools and pensions for teachers. Romania was conquered because it was on the road to Byzantium at the Bosporus. When his armies reached the Indian Ocean and Trajan went home, revolts spread and his nephew, Hadrian, in command in Syria, withdrew to the Euphrates. Tacitus did his historical writing during this reign.