2.1.21 to 2.1.22

Although Hadrian differed completely in temperament from Trajan and initially had not been advanced with any unusual speed, Trajan, a few years before his death, had made him governor of Syria, where he was responsible for the logistical support of the Parthian campaign. But Trajan did not then adopt him or give any indication of a choice of successor. Hence contemporary gossip stamped the announcement of Hadrian's last-minute adoption as a fiction put out by the empress Plotina, though it was probably a genuine deathbed decision. Modern historians differ in their judgments of Trajan both as a ruler and as a conqueror. Some think that his Dacian campaigns brought the empire new revenues and strengthened the Danubian frontier. Others regard his success as having been prepared by Domitian and his Parthian war as having overstrained the resources of the empire because of his megalomanic desire for military glory. (Encyclopaedia Britannica Article)