Trajan had built an artificial harbor to receive the flood of imported wine, wheat, and other goods arriving from Roman colonies around the Mediterranean rim. Trajan governed during a period of unprecedented peace and prosperity, as the empire reached its fullest extent. He was a very noble man and emperor. During his reign, Trajan had ordered his governor, Pliny, not to seek out Christians for persecution and to reject anonymous accusations "as a bad precedent and out of keeping with the spirit of our times." Letters between Trajan and Pliny, that still exist, throw our clearest light on the sincere efforts of the ruler and his agents to secure the welfare of the governed.