The major sources depicting the life and rule of Marcus are patchy and frequently unreliable. It drowned many animals, leaving the city in famine. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Book Summary) My overall impression of this classic is that it is overrated. [274] In one speech, Marcus himself reminded the Senate that the imperial palace where he lived was not truly his possession but theirs. As the heir apparent, Marcus became princeps iuventutis, head of the equestrian order. [2] The later biographies and the biographies of subordinate emperors and usurpers are unreliable, but the earlier biographies, derived primarily from now-lost earlier sources (Marius Maximus or Ignotus), are much more accurate. Modern scholars have not offered as positive an assessment. [15] He may have been known as Marcus Annius Catilius Severus,[16] at birth or some point in his youth,[12][14] or Marcus Catilius Severus Annius Verus. [159] The ceremony was perhaps not entirely necessary, given that Marcus's accession had been peaceful and unopposed, but it was good insurance against later military troubles. [49], In late 136, Hadrian almost died from a hemorrhage. Fronto felt that, because of Marcus's prominence and public duties, lessons were more important now than they had ever been before. Those in particular that refer to the beating and robbing I will describe so that they savour of gall and bile. They were called Titus Aurelius Antoninus and Tiberius Aelius Aurelius. He would read imperial letters to the senate when Antoninus was absent and would do secretarial work for the senators. Is there an afterlife, or is everything simply over? The citizens of Seleucia, still largely Greek (the city had been commissioned and settled as a capital of the Seleucid Empire, one of Alexander the Great's successor kingdoms), opened its gates to the invaders. This new impetus westwards was probably due to attacks from tribes further east. [222][note 15] Whatever the case, the senate gave its assent, and, in the summer of 162, Lucius left. The consulate was a twin magistracy, and earlier emperors had often had a subordinate lieutenant with many imperial offices (under Antoninus, the lieutenant had been Marcus). [301] The early Christian apologist, Justin Martyr, includes within his First Apology (written between 140 and 150 A.D.) a letter from Marcus Aurelius to the Roman senate (prior to his reign) describing a battlefield incident in which Marcus believed Christian prayer had saved his army from thirst when "water poured from heaven," after which, "immediately we recognized the presence of God." [192] One of those kings, Vologases IV of Parthia, made his move in late summer or early autumn 161. Professional jurists called him 'an emperor most skilled in the law'[271] and 'a most prudent and conscientiously just emperor'. Marcus thanked the temple synod, 'even though this turned out otherwise'. Barnes, 'Hadrian and Lucius Verus', pp. It too is one of the things required by nature. His son Commodus became emperor and soon ended the northern military efforts. [289] Biological sons of the emperor, if there were any, were considered heirs;[290] however, it was only the second time that a "non-adoptive" son had succeeded his father, the only other having been a century earlier when Vespasian was succeeded by his son Titus. [42] One of his teachers, Diognetus, a painting master, proved particularly influential; he seems to have introduced Marcus Aurelius to the philosophic way of life. [316] The oldest surviving complete manuscript copy is in the Vatican library and dates to the 14th century. In return for this bounty, equivalent to several years' pay, the troops swore an oath to protect the emperors. [112], Fronto had warned Marcus against the study of philosophy early on: 'It is better never to have touched the teaching of philosophy...than to have tasted it superficially, with the edge of the lips, as the saying is'. Barnes, 'Hadrian and Lucius Verus', p. 66. Farquharson dates his death to 130 when Marcus was nine. [145] He then turned over, as if going to sleep, and died. It had conveyed the drama of the disaster, and the senate had been awed: 'Not more suddenly or violently was the city stirred by the earthquake than the minds of your hearers by your speech'. He married Faustina, the emperor’s daughter, in 145. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus was born in April 26, 121 AD, to a prominent family. Marcus Aurelius' death is often held to have been the end of the Pax Romana and the beginning of the decline of the Roman Empire. Marcus Aurelius, through decades of training in Stoicism, in other words, had taught himself to face death with the steady calm of someone who … [72], Antoninus demanded that Marcus reside in the House of Tiberius, the imperial palace on the Palatine, and take up the habits of his new station, the aulicum fastigium or 'pomp of the court', against Marcus's objections. [122], On 30 November 147, Faustina gave birth to a girl named Domitia Faustina. This is an inspirational quote by Marcus … I love you and you are not here' in their correspondence. A statue of Marcus had stood atop the column but disappeared during the Middle Ages. Just one thing prevented him from being completely happy, namely, that after rearing and educating his son in the best possible way he was vastly disappointed in him. 58 (1968): 32–50. [88], Atticus was controversial: an enormously rich Athenian (probably the richest man in the eastern half of the empire), he was quick to anger and resented by his fellow Athenians for his patronizing manner. [79] Marcus had complained of an illness in an earlier letter: 'As far as my strength is concerned, I am beginning to get it back; and there is no trace of the pain in my chest. The five horizontal slits allow light into the internal spiral staircase. Around the age of 17, Marcus Aurelius became the son of Antoninus. [56] As part of Hadrian's terms, Antoninus, in turn, adopted Marcus and Lucius Commodus, the son of Lucius Aelius. The senate complied, and Marcus served under Antoninus, the consul for 139. [188] Fronto would again remind his pupil of the tension between his role and his philosophic pretensions: 'Suppose, Caesar, that you can attain to the wisdom of Cleanthes and Zeno, yet, against your will, not the philosopher's woolen cape'. Verus died in 169 so Aurelius pushed on alone, attempting to drive away the Germans. He was made consul soon after. Marcus Aurelius, through decades of training in Stoicism, in other words, had taught himself to face death with the steady calm of someone who … The preponderance of Greek tutors indicates the importance of the Greek language to the aristocracy of Rome. He might have died in 152, the same year as Marcus's sister Cornificia. A spiral of carved reliefs wraps around the column, showing scenes from his military campaigns. Then, like every new emperor since Claudius, Lucius promised the troops a special donative. That same year, 175, Aurelius's general Avidius Cassius was proclaimed Roman emperor after the erroneous news of Marcus's death; the sources indicate Cassius was encouraged by Marcus' wife Faustina, who was concerned about her husband's failing health, believing him to be on the verge of death, and felt the need for Cassius to act as a protector in this event, since her son Commodus, aged … … [287] Some scholars consider his death to be the end of the Pax Romana. [250] A second force, under Avidius Cassius and the III Gallica, moved down the Euphrates, and fought a major battle at Dura. Marcus Aurelius also is known as Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus (Born on April 26, 121, in Rome – Died On March 17, 180, in Vindobona or Sirmio) was emperor of the Roman Empire from the year 161 to the year his death in 180. As tribune, he had the right to bring one measure before the senate after the four Antoninus could introduce. [ˈmaːrkʊs̠ au̯ˈreːlijʊs̠ an̪t̪oːˈniːnʊs̠], persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, Last Words of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius, "De Imperatoribus Romanis: An Online Encyclopedia of Roman Rulers and Their Families", Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, 'Marcus Aurelius: Plato's Philosopher King', 'Column of Marcus Aurelius: Overall view, of base and column', 'The Columns of Trajan and Marcus Aurelius', Epiphanius' Treatise on Weights and Measures – The Syriac Version, Modern Stoicism: A Case for a Philosopher-King, The Thoughts of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Marcus_Aurelius&oldid=995638734, Articles with dead external links from October 2016, Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox philosopher with embed equal yes, Pages using multiple image with auto scaled images, Articles incorporating a citation from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating a citation from the 1911 Encyclopaedia Britannica with Wikisource reference, Wikipedia articles incorporating citation to the NSRW, Wikipedia articles incorporating citation to the NSRW with an wstitle parameter, Wikipedia articles with BIBSYS identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CANTIC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with CINII identifiers, Wikipedia articles with MusicBrainz identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SELIBR identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with SUDOC identifiers, Wikipedia articles with Trove identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus, Tiberius Aelius Antoninus (born 152, died before 156), Titus Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus (161–165), elder twin brother of Commodus, dashed lines indicate adoption; dotted lines indicate love affairs/unmarried relationships. [263], Experienced governors had been replaced by friends and relatives of the imperial family. Then another: the girl alone. [100], He wrote Fronto a letter on his birthday, claiming to love him as he loved himself, and calling on the gods to ensure that every word he learnt of literature, he would learn 'from the lips of Fronto'. [169] The births were celebrated on the imperial coinage. His brother was Lucius Aurelius Verus Augustus (usually referred to as Verus). [9], Marcus was born in Rome on 26 April 121. Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (/ɔːˈriːliəs/ ə-REE-lee-əs,[1] Latin: [ˈmaːrkʊs̠ au̯ˈreːlijʊs̠ an̪t̪oːˈniːnʊs̠]; 26 April 121 – 17 March 180 AD) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher. [158] This donative, however, was twice the size of those past: 20,000 sesterces (5,000 denarii) per capita, with more to officers. It too is one of the things required by nature. Marcus Aurelius, in full Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus, original name (until 161 ce) Marcus Annius Verus, (born April 26, 121 ce, Rome [Italy]—died March 17, 180, Vindobona [Vienna, Austria] or Sirmium, Pannonia), Roman emperor (161–180 ce), best known for his Meditations on Stoic philosophy. Despite the shared adoption of Marcus and Lucius, the political realities upon the death of Antoninus Pius in AD 161 were quite different. Before the end of the year, another family coin was issued: it shows only a tiny girl, Domitia Faustina, and one boy baby. In turn, Antoninus adopted Marcus and Lucius, the son of Aelius. Like all great philosophers Marcus Aurelius the noblest of the Emperors of Rome also pondered death. [215] Marcus Aurelius put on Fronto's voice to chastise himself: ''Much good has my advice done you', you will say!' At some time between 155 and 161, probably soon after 155, Marcus's mother Domitia Lucilla died. Marcus made some show of resistance: the biographer writes that he was 'compelled' to take imperial power. However, the night before the speech, he grew ill and died of a hemorrhage later in the day. "[299], In the first two centuries of the Christian era, it was local Roman officials who were largely responsible for the persecution of Christians. [70] At the senate's request, Marcus joined all the priestly colleges (pontifices, augures, quindecimviri sacris faciundis, septemviri epulonum, etc. He and Faustina, Marcus wrote, had been 'pretty occupied' with the girl's care. III'. [171] At the ceremonies commemorating the event, new provisions were made for the support of poor children, along the lines of earlier imperial foundations. For this reason, Marcus decided not only against bringing more barbarians into Italy, but even banished those who had previously been brought there. Time to disembark. “About death: Whether it is a dispersion, or a resolution into atoms, or annihilation, it is either extinction or change.” —Marcus Aurelius Part of what makes death so scary is that we know nothing about it. The most important group of sources, the biographies contained in the Historia Augusta, claimed to be written by a group of authors at the turn of the 4th century AD, but it is believed they were in fact written by a single author (referred to here as 'the biographer') from about 395 AD. 71–79. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good Emperors (a term coined some 13 centuries later by Niccolò Machiavelli), and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace and stability for the Roman Empire. [35] His mother Lucilla did not remarry[33] and, following prevailing aristocratic customs, probably did not spend much time with her son. “ — Marcus Aurelius, book Meditations. They would march against Cassius and obtain the “great prize of war and of victory.” But of course, because it was Marcus, this war prize was something wholly different. [209], Marcus took a four-day public holiday at Alsium, a resort town on the coast of Etruria. Marcus makes no apparent reference to the marriage in his surviving letters, and only sparing references to Faustina. Fronto urged him in a letter to have plenty of sleep 'so that you may come into the Senate with a good colour and read your speech with a strong voice'. [63] The succession to Antoninus was peaceful and stable: Antoninus kept Hadrian's nominees in office and appeased the senate, respecting its privileges and commuting the death sentences of men charged in Hadrian's last days. His health was so poor that, during a ceremony to mark his becoming heir to the throne, he was too weak to lift a large shield on his own. [163] The temple he had dedicated to his wife, Diva Faustina, became the Temple of Antoninus and Faustina. [131] By 28 March 158, when Marcus replied, another of his children was dead. Barnes, 'Hadrian and Lucius Verus', p. 68. If there were anything harmful on the other side of death, [Gods] would have made sure that the ability to avoid it was within you. leaves, This may have been the port city of Kattigara, described by Ptolemy (c. 150) as being visited by a Greek sailor named Alexander and lying beyond the Golden Chersonese (i.e. Recommend to friends. [187], Fronto's letters continued through Marcus's early reign. The reign of Marcus Aurelius was marked by military conflict. Returning soldiers brought some type of disease back with them to Rome, which lingered for years and wiped out a portion of the population. Excerpt from Herodian of Antioch’s History of the Empire from the Death of Marcus. [245] In response, Roman forces were moved downstream, to cross the Euphrates at a more southerly point. To see what your friends thought of this quote, please sign up! [319] This may be due to it being wrongly identified during the Middle Ages as a depiction of the Christian emperor Constantine the Great, and spared the destruction which statues of pagan figures suffered. [294][295], Christians such as Justin Martyr, Athenagoras, and Eusebius also gave him the title. Citations to the works of Fronto are cross-referenced to C.R. [177] The tutor was immensely proud of his students. Marcus married Antoninus's daughter Faustina in 145. [90] He thought the Stoics' desire for apatheia was foolish: they would live a 'sluggish, enervated life', he said. [61], After a series of suicide attempts, all thwarted by Antoninus, Hadrian left for Baiae, a seaside resort on the Campanian coast. Marcus Aurelius died on 17th March 180 AD. The ab epistulis Sextus Caecilius Crescens Volusianus, in charge of the imperial correspondence, was replaced with Titus Varius Clemens. [275] In 168, he revalued the denarius, increasing the silver purity from 79% to 82% – the actual silver weight increasing from 2.57–2.67 g (0.091–0.094 oz). [149], Although Marcus showed no personal affection for Hadrian (significantly, he does not thank him in the first book of his Meditations), he presumably believed it his duty to enact the man's succession plans. Below are some of the best Marcus Aurelius quotes to inspire you to create your own happiness and live your best life. He was consul in 154,[134] and was consul again with Marcus in 161. Clemens was from the frontier province of Pannonia and had served in the war in Mauretania. Early life (121–161 AD) [132] In 159 and 160, Faustina gave birth to daughters: Fadilla and Cornificia, named respectively after Faustina's and Marcus's dead sisters. He would not mention Herodes at all in his Meditations, in spite of the fact that they would come into contact many times over the following decades. [127] He quoted from the Iliad what he called the 'briefest and most familiar saying...enough to dispel sorrow and fear':[128]. Technically this was not an adoption, the creation of a new and different patria potestas. There was then a crop of growing corn; there is now a ripe, gathered harvest. [231] Marcus moved up the date; perhaps he had already heard of Lucius's mistress Panthea. After Severianus made some unsuccessful efforts to engage Chosrhoes, he committed suicide, and his legion was massacred. [115], Apollonius may have introduced Marcus to Stoic philosophy, but Quintus Junius Rusticus would have the strongest influence on the boy. [123][304] One son and four daughters outlived their father. [113] He disdained philosophy and philosophers and looked down on Marcus's sessions with Apollonius of Chalcedon and others in this circle. It was the only thing the biographer could find fault with in Marcus's entire boyhood. 'When Glass Was Treasured in China'. As the grandson of Arulenus Rusticus, one of the martyrs to the tyranny of Domitian (r. 81–96), he was heir to the tradition of 'Stoic Opposition' to the 'bad emperors' of the 1st century;[119] the true successor of Seneca (as opposed to Fronto, the false one). [152] Marcus became, in official titulature, Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus; Lucius, forgoing his name Commodus and taking Marcus's family name Verus, became Imperator Caesar Lucius Aurelius Verus Augustus. His campaigns against Germans and Sarmatians were also commemorated by a column and a temple built in Rome. In the 160s, they battled with the Parthian empire for control over lands in the East. );[71] direct evidence for membership, however, is available only for the Arval Brethren. Ackermann, Schroeder, Terry, Lo Upshur and Whitters, p. 39. [108] The outcome of the trial is unknown. The formalities of the position would follow. [40], Marcus was educated at home, in line with contemporary aristocratic trends;[41] he thanks Catilius Severus for encouraging him to avoid public schools. Marcus should have been angry. In the night he vomited; he had a fever the next day. Birley believes there is some truth in these considerations. Growing up, Aurelius was a dedicated student, learning Latin and Greek. Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher. Known for his philosophical interests, Aurelius was one of the most respected emperors in Roman history. [52] As part of his adoption, Commodus took the name, Lucius Aelius Caesar. Husband of Ceionia Fabia: Levick (2014), p. 164. Commodus (/ ˈ k ɒ m ə d ə s /; 31 August 161 – 31 December 192) was Roman emperor jointly with his father Marcus Aurelius from 176 until his father's death in 180, and solely until 192. Marcus and Lucius nominated their father for deification. A coin issue celebrates fecunditati Augustae, 'the Augusta's fertility', depicting two girls and an infant. It was first published in 1558 in Zurich by Wilhelm Xylander (ne Holzmann), from a manuscript reportedly lost shortly afterwards. Unfortunately, Faustina died during this trip. He was there with his wife and children (another child had stayed with Fronto and his wife in Rome). Reflecting on the speech he had written on taking his consulship in 143, when he had praised the young Marcus, Fronto was ebullient: 'There was then an outstanding natural ability in you; there is now perfected excellence. There had been reverses in Rome's past, Fronto writes,[219] but in the end, Romans had always prevailed over their enemies: 'Always and everywhere [Mars] has changed our troubles into successes and our terrors into triumphs'. Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor (CE 161–180), best known for his Meditations on Stoic philosophy. Unlike some of his predecessors, Marcus chose not to adopt an heir. [244], In 163, the Parthians intervened in Osroene, a Roman client in upper Mesopotamia centred on Edessa, and installed their own king on its throne. Meditations is still revered as a literary monument to a government of service and duty. He was immediately deified and his ashes were returned to Rome, where they rested in Hadrian's mausoleum (modern Castel Sant'Angelo) until the Visigoth sack of the city in 410. “About death: Whether it is a dispersion, or a resolution into atoms, or annihilation, it is either extinction or change.” —Marcus Aurelius Part of what makes death so scary is that we know nothing about it. Marcus probably would have opted for travel and further education instead. Roman general and statesman Julius Caesar turned the Roman Republic into the powerful Roman Empire. After hearing a rumor about Aurelius being deathly ill, Avidius Cassius claimed the title of emperor for himself. [77] He was required to make a speech to the assembled senators as well, making oratorical training essential for the job. But he did not have to fight Cassius as he was murdered by his own soldiers. „If it is not right, do not do it, if it is not true, do not say it. His Stoic philosophical writings are known as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, which were written in Greek.He was succeeded by his son … Who knows better than you how demanding it is! His second modern editor, Champlin notes that Marcus's praise of Rusticus in the, Although part of the biographer's account of Lucius is fictionalized (probably to mimic Nero, whose birthday Lucius shared, These name-swaps have proven so confusing that even the. If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it. [249] The Parthians retreated to Nisibis, but this too was besieged and captured. 'I have duties hanging over me that can hardly be begged off', he wrote back. To see what your … Don’t look down on death, but welcome it. [254] Cassius's army returned to the field in 166, crossing over the Tigris into Media. Numerous members of Germanic tribes settled in frontier regions like Dacia, Pannonia, Germany, and Italy itself. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations. Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, born in Rome AD 121, the date of his birth being variously stated as the 6th, 21st and 26th of April. Discourses, written by a former slave and Stoic philosopher Epictetus, had a great deal of influence over Marcus Aurelius. The campaign had lasted only three days. [151] The senate accepted, granting Lucius the imperium, the tribunician power, and the name Augustus. the wind scatters some on the face of the ground; Marcus Aurelius (r. A.D. 161-180) was a Stoic philosopher and one of the five good Roman emperors (r. A.D. 161-180). Marcus defeated the Marcomanni, Quadi, and Sarmatian Iazyges in the Marcomannic Wars; however, these and other Germanic peoples began to represent a troubling reality for the Empire. Was born in 122 or 123, 'even though this turned out otherwise ' assassination his... Imperial correspondence, was born on 7 March 150, Annia Aurelia Galeria.! 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