9 August AD 117
Trajan dies

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Trajan spends the last years of his reign fighting in the east. Having conquered and made Armenia a Roman province in AD 114, he invades Mesopotamia the following year and even captures the Parthian capital near modern Baghdad. But a rebellion follows in 116, and another Jewish revolt in 117 adds to the empire's problems. After almost 20 years as emperor, however, Trajan has left the empire in such good shape that, for more than 200 years afterwards, the Senate prays to the gods to ensure that future emperors should be 'more fortunate than Augustus and better than Trajan'.

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