Trajan was born in 53 A.D. to a family of Roman origin residing in Itálica (near modern Sevilla, Spain). Conqueror of Dacia (modern Romania) and Mesopotamia, he ruled the Roman emperor from the year 98 until his death in 117. He was trained as a youth in the Roman army and took an active part in campaigns in Spain, Syria, and Germany during the reigns of the emperors Titus and Domitian. Trajan achieved distinction as a general of outstanding ability, and in 91 he was elected a consul. In 97 he was adopted by Emperor Nerva as his colleague and successor. On the death of Nerva the following year, Trajan, who was at that time inspecting the Roman frontier in Germany, became the sole ruler of the empire. Although he spent the greater part of his career engaged in military campaigns, expanding the empire further east and south, the government of Rome was carefully guided. Today, marks of his reign are stamped all over the Eternal City. The famous Trajan’s Column, commemorating his victory over the Dacians, stands among the ruins of his magnificent Forum, part of the greater Forum complex. Nearby, Trajan’s Marketplace, overlooking the Forum, is a strikingly modern shopping structure complete with segmented stalls for individual vendors, not altogether different from modern malls. He also made many improvements outside of Rome including repairs along the fabled Appian Way as well as countless other civic projects throughout the empire.