Emperor Trajan Born: Rome's Greatest Expansionist

Trajan was born in the Roman province of Hispania Baetica, in what is now Italica near modern Seville, Spain, on September 18, 53 AD. He was the first Roman emperor born outside Italy, a fact that signaled how deeply the empire had changed since the days when only Roman-born aristocrats could aspire to the purple. He was a career soldier who worked his way up through the legions before being adopted as heir by the aging Emperor Nerva in 97 AD. The adoption was political: Nerva was old, weak, and under pressure from the Praetorian Guard. Trajan was the most respected general in the empire. The message was clear: the army's choice was the state's choice. His reign, from 98 to 117 AD, is generally considered the peak of Rome's territorial expansion. His two Dacian campaigns between 101 and 106 AD conquered what is now Romania, seizing the gold mines of Transylvania and annexing a wealthy new province. The wars are depicted in extraordinary detail on Trajan's Column in Rome, a 30-meter marble column covered in continuous spiraling relief that shows every aspect of the campaigns: river crossings, fort construction, supply logistics, battles, surrenders. It is the most detailed visual record of Roman military operations that survives from antiquity. He later campaigned in the east, annexing Armenia, Mesopotamia, and briefly reaching the Persian Gulf, pushing the empire's borders farther than they had ever reached and farther than they would ever reach again. The eastern conquests proved overextended. His successor Hadrian abandoned most of them. At home, Trajan was known for public works, including a massive new forum and market complex in Rome, and for the alimenta, a welfare program that provided food subsidies for poor children in Italian cities. He was popular with the Senate, the army, and the Roman public. He died on August 8, 117 AD, in Selinus, Cilicia (modern Turkey), returning from his eastern campaigns. His ashes were placed in the base of his column. The Senate officially declared him Optimus Princeps, the best ruler, a title no subsequent emperor received.