Trajan is an iconic Roman emperor for several reasons – not only was he the first Roman emperor to be born outside of Italy, but he was also one of the first to be chosen, rather than inheriting power as part of a ruling family.

During the 19 years that he was in power, Trajan expanded the Roman Empire to its farthest territorial limits. Under his orders, the empire stretched from Scotland to North Africa and swept across the Mediterranean to modern-day Iraq.

With great power comes great social responsibility; Trajan used his reign to formalise the ‘alimenta’ a welfare program that helped orphans and poor children by giving them access to financial support, food and subsidised education.