Traianus Mucianus was a Roman soldier of Thracian origins of the second half of the Third Century AD who rose from the lowest ranks of the army to senior commands.
The only evidence for the details of his career – or, indeed, for his very existence – consists of a single epigraphic inscription in Greek on a monument set up in his honour discovered on the site of Augusta Traiana.
Furthermore, some sections of the text, particularly in the latter part, are so badly damaged as to make their reconstruction largely speculative[3] Nevertheless, accepting these drawbacks, the Mucianus Inscription is considered by some to give an unusually complete record of the career of a senior officer at a time when the Roman Army was undergoing profound organisational changes.
His elevation to the centurionate, and his rise through that body to equestrian status and, hence, the higher levels of command, is thought to be particularly informative of the experiences of officers fortunate enough to have made their careers in the expanded Imperial field army.
It is generally accepted that Traianus Mucianus was the dedicator of both the Aurelianic monuments and that he set them up to express his gratitude to the brothers for the influence they had exercised - presumably with the Emperor (Gallienus) - to the benefit of his career.