The city and the surrounding region suffered tremendous damage, and the emperor Trajan, who was at Antioch preparing for a campaign against the Parthians, barely escaped death by climbing out the window of the house where he was staying, sustaining only minor injuries.
[3] Although implied by Cassius Dio to have died during his term of office, Vergilianus must have resigned by the kalends of February, when his successor was inaugurated, while the earthquake occurred on December 13.
[4] Thus, while Vergilianus was of consular rank, he was not serving as consul at the time of his death, and was probably at Antioch as part of Trajan's retinue.
Although a relatively obscure figure in Roman history, Vergilianus has received additional scrutiny due to the uncertainty surrounding his proper name.
[8] In imperial times, it was not uncommon for members of the Roman aristocracy to possess extended and occasionally cumbersome nomenclature, indicating their descent from different illustrious families.