What Role Did The Trajan And Dacian Wars Play In Shaping Their Society

Bhavini Prasad Professor Pittard Intro to Ancient Rome April 14, 2024 Evidence Lab 2 - Celebrating War War is a central part of ancient societies and how they came to be, especially within ancient Rome. Despite the brutality and horrors that a lot of wars had put the people through, wars were celebrated by the ancient Roman society. Within the paper, I will be discussing one such war that was celebrated: the Dacian Wars. The Dacian Wars were fought between the Romans and the Dacians through a series of military campaigns during Emperor Trajan’s rule. Throughout the essay, I will be examining the portrayal, justification, and celebration of these wars in Roman society and the role they played in shaping their society. The sources provided all

The conflicts during the Dacian wars are justified primarily due to reasons surrounding empire expansion, protecting the interests of the Romans, and also defense from any threats that the Dacian forces were putting against them. In Cassius Dio, it is written, “For he took into account their past deeds and was grieved at the amount of money they were receiving annually, and he also observed that their power and their pride were increasing" (Cassius Dio 6). The text describes Trajan’s realization of the growing power of the Dacians and his advances towards the conflict due to these reasons. The idea of protecting the Roman empire is significant within this text and is an example of why war conflict was a path that the Romans would go through. In Trajan’s Column, there is an image of Trajan looking up at the soldiers as they cross the Danube (scene 4). The image shows victory and triumph, emphasizing Roman dominance in the military aspect and as an empire while also showing how the Romans had to send in troops to stand their ground and control the region from the

This was done to commemorate the triumphs of the Romans and show that they were victorious, honorable, and a strong empire. The Silver Coin of Trajan displays an image of a man standing with a staff on top of a column. This was most likely a representation of Emperor Trajan standing up high to show that he is victorious in regards to the war. The coin is an example of the Romans implementing their celebration of war and victory into their daily lives, such as through their currency. In Cassius Dio, it is mentioned that “Trajan celebrated a triumph and was given the title of Dacicus; in the theatre he held contests of gladiators” (Cassius Dio 10). Post war, there is a clear description of how the Romans would celebrate war through a grand ceremony and host events to celebrate their victories. In this case, Trajan was also given a military honor for his success in the war. War played a major part in helping the Romans assert their power, prestige, and honor as an empire. By aiming to expand territory and maintain their order within the society, they are proving their honor, power, and glory to other empires, overall coming off as