TRAJAN (MARCUS ULPIUS TRAIANUS) (A.D. 53-117), Ro man emperor, was born at Italica, in Spain, on Sept. 18, 53. The family to which he belonged was probably Italian by blood. His father began as a common legionary soldier, and fought his way up to the consulship and the governorship of Asia. The younger Trajan was a soldier born and bred.
For ten years he was a military tribune, serving all over the empire ; then he held important posts in Syria and Spain. By 89 he had a considerable military reputation. In that year he was or dered from Further Spain to the Rhine to deal with the revolt of Saturninus. He covered the distance very quickly, but the rebellion had been crushed before his arrival. He was consul in 91. Nerva on his accession made him consular legate of Upper Germany, and on the advice of L. Licinius Sura adopted him as his son and successor on Oct. 27, 97. The senate confirmed the choice and acknowledged him as the successor. Trajan at the time was in Germany. Shortly afterwards, at Cologne, he received news of the emperor's death (Jan. 25, 98). Trajan's authority was at once acknowledged all over the empire. He gave the sen ate an assurance like that given by Nerva, that he would neither kill nor degrade any senator, and ordered the foundation of a temple and cult in honour of his adoptive father, but he did not come to Rome till he had inspected the Rhine-Danube frontier. The praetorians, who had been a menace to Nerva, were quickly overawed, and he proceeded to make his long-awaited entry into Rome. Here he at once made himself popular with both senate and people. Soon afterwards he left for his first Dacian campaign. It would appear that Trajan himself wrote an account of this war, but only one sentence has survived. We are left with the evidence of Trajan's column and the monuments at Adamklissi.
This much may be said. Roman prestige and security were threatened by the terms of peace exacted by Decebalus from Domitian. Trajan took the initiative in 'or ; his advance, more or less unopposed at first, ended in an indecisive battle at Tapae, at the entrance to the Iron Gate pass. Trajan retired to winter
on the Danube. The winter seems to have been disturbed by a raid by Dacians and Roxolani into Moesia. The next spring Trajan invaded Dacia again. His advance ended in an attack on a stronghold (identified as Muncel Cetate), and a complete victory near Kortesd. Decebalus surrendered, a garrison was left in Sarmizegetusa, and Trajan withdrew. In 105 Decebalus revolted, and again (probably) invaded Moesia. Trajan started at once from Ancona, and seems to have spent the first season in Moesia, making his way to his bridge at Pontes and wintering there. The next year (ro6), after prolonged and desperate fighting, Sarmize getusa was taken, and Decebalus committed suicide. Dacia was annexed, the capital became a colony, Ulpia Traiana, and the new province was gradually Romanised in the usual way.
There followed seven years of peace, broken at last by war with Parthia. The casus belli was the appointment by the new king of Parthia, Chosroes, of a nephew to the throne of Armenia without the customary application to Rome, but there must have been something behind that, for Chosroes' instant apology failed to placate Trajan. There were three campaigns. The first (114) resulted in the annexation of Armenia almost without opposition.
The next year, still without much fighting, Trajan occupied Mesopotamia up to the Tigris. There he halted, and went to Antioch for the winter. In 116 he first marched through Edessa and Nisibis, forced the passage of the Tigris without difficulty, and annexed Adiabene, which became the province of Assyria. Then he turned down the Tigris to Ctesiphon. Chosroes fled, and Tra jan went on down stream to the shores of the Persian gulf, where he looked over the waters to India, and said sadly, "If only I were younger." The captured territory became the province of Parthia.