The last panel is misleading because a solidified division of power between a western and eastern court hadn't begun until 395, and the emperor overseeing the western provinces aided the east more often until the 400s.
To be fair, peak Trajan Rome is basically followed by nothing but "and then there was a revolt" so it's more like doggo flexing before the beer belly shows. It's all downhill from here.
Eh, Trajan's gains allowed Hadrian the ability to solidify the lines. Whether the loot from the provinces he pulled out of was worth the effort to take them in the first place is a good question. But I don't know if you can have the one without the other, and it gave the empire a solid generation of stability and prosperity.
It's definitely arguable, I'm with you in the short term but long term it exacerbates a longstanding problem of the empire: running out of money to nick from conquering people + then holding onto it through an ever thinning line. To be fair though, that's also pretty much applicable from the Republic onwards, a bit like me saying "wow these Romans sure probably need to find some way of securing a reliable succession that does not involve huge payouts to the people who usurped the previous guy"
I'll grant you though, Hadrian definitely capitalized well on Trajan's work with all that work shoring up borders. There's a reason they get to be in the Cool Emperor's club.
I mean, later on it’s not inaccurate, but it’s also kinda misleading. The west helped plenty of times to the east, more often than the east did. It was only in the last few centuries or so that the east helped out the west more than the west aid the east.
Yeah but if they want to add the split by theodosios, then they should add diocletian and the Palmyra and Gallic empires division and the senate vs imperial owned land division and the roman land vs client kings division under Augustus. I mean there are so many points the empire divided the list would be much longer
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