The TRAJAN HOTEL

Trajan, (Latin : Imperator Caesar Nerva Traianus Divi Nervae filius Augustus 18 September 53 – 8 August 117) was Roman emperor from 98 to 117 . Officially declared by the Senate optimus princeps ("the best ruler"), Trajan is remembered as a successful soldier-emperor who presided over the greatest military expansion in Roman history, leading the empire to attain its maximum territorial extent by the time of his death. He is also known for his philanthropic rule, overseeing extensive public building programs and implementing social welfare policies, which earned him his enduring reputation as the second of the Five Good Emperors who presided over an era of peace and prosperity in the Mediterranean world.

Trajan was born in the city of Italica (close to modern Sevilla, Spain), a Roman settlement in the province of Hispania Baetica. Although misleadingly designated by some later writers as a provincial, his family came from Umbria and he was born a Roman citizen. Trajan rose to prominence during the reign of emperor Domitian. Serving as a legatus legionis in Hispania Tarraconensis, in 89 Trajan supported Domitian against a revolt on the Rhine led by Antonius Saturninus. In September 96, Domitian was succeeded by Marcus Cocceius Nerva, an old and childless senator who proved to be unpopular with the army. After a brief and tumultuous year in power, culminating in a revolt by members of the Praetorian Guard, Nerva was compelled to adopt the more popular Trajan as his heir and successor. He died on 27 January 98 and was succeeded by his adopted son without incident.

As a civilian administrator, Trajan is best known for his extensive public building program, which reshaped the city of Rome and left numerous enduring landmarks such as Trajan's Forum, Trajan's Market and Trajan's Column. Early in his reign, he annexed the Nabataean Kingdom, creating the province of Arabia Petraea. His conquest of Dacia enriched the empire greatly, as the new province possessed many valuable gold mines. Trajan's war against the Parthian Empire ended with the sack of the capital Ctesiphon and the annexation of Armenia and Mesopotamia. His campaigns expanded the Roman Empire to its greatest territorial extent. In late 117, while sailing back to Rome, Trajan fell ill and died of a stroke in the city of Selinus. He was deified by the Senate and his ashes were laid to rest under Trajan's Column. He was succeeded by his adopted son Hadrian.

Source : Wikipedia (read the article on the Wikipedia Site)

TIMGAD, the City of Trajan

In a mountainous site of great beauty, north of the Aures massif, 480 km southeast of Algiers, and 110 km south of Constantine, Timgad offers the example of a military colony Roman created ex nihilo. The Colonia Marciana Traiana Thamugadi was founded in the year 100 AD by Trajan, probably to serve as a camp for the 3rd Legion Augustus, which was later confined to Lambèse. The plan, of great rigor, illustrates the principles of Roman town planning at its peak. The rapid growth of the city led, in the middle of the second century, to explode the narrow framework of the original foundation. Timgad is growing out of the ramparts and major public buildings are built in the new districts: capitol, temples, markets, baths. Most date back to the time of the Sévères, where the city knew its golden age which also testify immense private residences.

Source : UNESCO - World Heritage Center (read the article on the UNESCO website)