His birthplace, Hispania Baetica, is part of present-day Spain. You cannot download interactives. The danger from ambitious generals was so real that Nerva adopted Trajan, the commander of the nearest armies (on the Rhine), and made him successor even though he was a native of Italica, a Romanized town of Spain. He twice defeated the people from the region of Dacia, where modern-day Romania is located. Explore this collection to learn how the contemporary world was shaped by the conquests of ancient civilizations. Trajan returned to Rome after attaining this major victory, and as part of the celebration, he organized a series of grand gladiator matches that involved over ten thousand gladiators and caused the slaughter of about eleven thousand animals. He ordered the construction of several roads, public baths, and new bridges. He was also one of the first emperors to be chosen, rather than to inherit power as part of a ruling family. Interesting Facts About Roman Emperor Trajan. Trajan emulated his friend the historian Pliny the Younger by expanding public funds, called alimenta, to care for poor children. For information on user permissions, please read our Terms of Service. CAES.

As an emperor, Trajan's reputation has endured — he is one of the few rulers whose reputation has survived nineteen centuries. In late 117, while sailing back to Rome, Trajan fell ill and died of a stroke in the city of Selinus. Early in his reign he annexed Nabataea (between the Arabian and Sinai peninsulas), creating the province of Arabia Petraea. Trajan’s Column towered over a magnificent new forum, which boasted two libraries, a grand civic space, and a colonnaded plaza. Roman Emperor Domitian, who was known to be ruthless otherwise, was nice to Trajan, as he understood his abilities. Some say the city of Rome was founded on the Palatine Hill by Romulus, son of Mars, the god of war. As a teenager, he worked in the army under his father’s command. His campaigns expanded the Roman Empire to its greatest territorial extent.

It was a well-calculated move by Nerva, as it earned him the respect of the military that consisted of blind supporters of Trajan. Serving as a general in the Roman army along the German frontier, Trajan successfully put down the revolt of Antonius Saturninus in 89.

His conquest of Dacia enriched the empire greatly - the new province possessed many valuable gold mines. NER. He decided to complete the remaining work in Germany first.

Caption: IMP. The Alcántara Bridge, Spain, widely hailed as a masterpiece of Roman engineering.

He conquered the Dacians and launched three military invasions.