Trajan and the provinces of the Roman Empire: a reconstruction of the everyday, religious and economic life that forms the background of modern Europe.
The exhibition held in Ancona in 1998-99 documented the figure of Trajan, for the 1900th anniversary of his ascent to the imperial throne. Optimus Princeps, tireless architect and urban planner, but also vir militaris capable of reinforcing the myth of Roman invincibility through his actions, Trajan has been depicted in the historiography of all eras as the ideal sovereign whose rule coincides with the apex of the expansion and fortunes of the Empire. The catalogue rigorously reconstructs, through material evidence, the everyday, religious and economic life of the time on the outskirts of the empire, those regions that played a central role for the entire reign of Trajan, while filling in gaps in knowledge, outlining a map of the differences and affinities that form the background of modern Europe.