born Sept. 15?; AD 53; Italica; Baetica died Aug. 8/9; 117; Selinus; Cilicia Photograph: Trajan; detail of a marble bust; Trajan; detail of a marble bust; Agrora Museum Athens . Caesar Divi Nervae Filius Nerva Traianus Optimus Augustus; Caesar Nerva Traianus Germanicus; Marcus Ulpius Traianus Roman emperor (AD 98?17); Marcus Ulpius Traianus was born in the Roman province of Baetica; southern Spain. the first to be born outside Italy. While his family first to have a career in the imperial service. he became governor; successively; of Syria and Asia. He served 10 years as a legionary staff tribune. he was in Syria He then held the traditional magistracies through the praetorship; which qualified him for command of a legion governor of Upper Germany; Trajan probably arrived after the revolt had already been suppressed by the governor of Lower Germany. to hold one of the two consulships; which; even under the empire; remained most prestigious offices. Trajan; governor of Upper Germany and who seemed acceptable both to the army commanders and to the Senate. On Jan. 1; 98; Trajan entered upon his second consulship as Nerva's colleague. on January 27 or 28; Trajan was accepted as emperor by both the armies and the Senate. Trajan deified Nerva and included his name in his imperial title. In 114 he placed before his title Augustus the adjective Optimus (鞡est?. recalling the epithets Optimus Maximus; applied to Jupiter; to present Trajan as the god's representative on earth.