The victory of the Roman emperor Trajan over the Dacians in back-to-back wars is carved in numerous scenes that spiral around a 126-foot marble pillar in Rome known as Trajan’s Column.

Nerva and Trajan (ruled 96 – 98 AD, 98 – 117 AD) were not born to rule, but were chosen for the job. The results were remarkably successful. Nerva became emperor immediately after Domitian’s ...

If an army grew dissatisfied, the emperor was in trouble ... while Nerva "adopted" Trajan to ensure a smooth succession. With the Imperial throne offering such enormous power, and the rules ...