Literature 2nd Century was the end of the greatest period of Latin literature with historical writings of Tacitus and the latter satires of Juvenal. The famous biography of the 12 Caesars by Suetonius was one of the best known works. It is said that the period in history of the world which the human race was most happy and prosperous was from the death of Domitian to the accession. In this period money was lent to land owners and the interest used by local towns and cities to feed and clothe children of need families. The state also stepped in to help cities which had borrowed any to embark on public building projects, and became bankrupt as a result.
Social changes come with economic decline in some regions of the empire.
The capital continued to prosper at the heart of the empire, while other Italian cities became less prosperous. Gaul, The Rhineland, and Africa underwent economic boom at the expense of traditional Italian industries. This and the growing pressures on the frontiers, were to be hall marks of the following century.