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Emperor of Rome (A.D. 98-117), borne at Italica Spain, 18 September, 53; d. 7 August, 117. 
He was descended from an old Roman family, and was adopted in 97 by the Emperor Nerva. Trajan 
was one of the ablest of the Roman emperors; he was stately and majestic in appearance, had a powerful will, and showed admirable consideration  and a chivalrous kindliness. He gained a large 
amount of territory for the empire and laid the foundations of civilization all over the provinces by the 
founding of municipal communities. He established order on the borders of the Rhine, built the larger 
part of the boundary wall (limes) between Roman and Germanic territory from the Danube to the 
Rhine, and with great determination led two campaigns (101-2 and 105-7) against the Dacian king, 
Decebalus, whose country he converted into a new province of the empire. Two other provinces were 
conquered, although neither proved of importance subsequently. The Governor of Syria conquered 
Arabia Petraea and Trajan himself entered Armenia during the Parthian War (114-7).  
 
In his internal administration Trajan was incessantly occupied in encouraging commerce and 
industries. The harbour of Ancona was enlarged and new harbours and roads were constructed. 
Numerous stately ruins in and around Rome gave proof of the emperor's zeal in erecting buildings for 
public purposes. The chief of these is the immense Forum Trajanum, which in size and splendour casts 
the forums of the other emperors into the shade. In the middle of the great open space was the colossal 
equestrian statute of Trajan; the free area itself was surrounded by rows of columns and niches 
surmounted by high arches. At the end of the structure was the Bibliotheca Ulpia, in the court of which 
stood the celebrated Trojan’s Column with its relief representing scenes in the Dacian wars. Later 
Hadrian built a temple to the deified Trajan at the end of the Forum towards the Campus Martius.  
 
Art and learning flourished during Trajan's  reign. Among his literary contemporaries were 
Tacitus, Juvenal, and the younger Pliny with  whom the emperor carried on an animated 
correspondence. This correspondence belonging to the years 111-3 throws light on the persecution of 
Christians during this reign. Pliny was legate of the double Province of Bithynia and Pontus. In this 
territory he found many Christians and requested instructions from Trajan. In his reply, Trajan 
considers the confession of Christianity as a crime worthy of death, but forbade a search for Christians 
and the acceptance of anonymous denunciations. Whoever shows by sacrificing to the gods that he is 
not a Christian is to be released. Where the adherence to Christianity is proved the punishment of death 
is to follow. The action he prescribed rests on the coercive power of the police, the right of repression 
of the magistracy, which required no settled form of procedure. In pursuance of these orders measures 
were taken against Christians in other places also. The most distinguished martyrs under Trajan were 
Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, and Simeon, Bishop of Jerusalem.