Marcus Aurelius

Lore & Background

Marcus Aurelius was the son of the praetor Marcus Annius Verus and Domitia Calvilla. He was three when his father died and was raised by his mother and paternal grandfather. After Hadrian's adoptive son Aelius Caesar died in 138, Hadrian adopted Marcus's uncle Antoninus Pius as his new heir, and Antoninus in turn adopted Marcus and Lucius, the son of Aelius. Marcus studied Greek and Latin under tutors such as Herodes Atticus and Marcus Cornelius Fronto, and married Antoninus's daughter Faustina in 145.

After Antoninus died in 161, Marcus acceded to the throne alongside his adoptive brother Lucius Aurelius Verus. His reign saw much military conflict, including the Parthian War of Lucius Verus and the Marcomannic Wars against the Marcomanni, Quadi, and Iazyges. He reduced the silver purity of the denarius. The Antonine Plague broke out in 165 or 166, devastating the population and causing five to ten million deaths. Lucius Verus may have died from the plague in 169. Marcus died in 180 and was succeeded by his son Commodus.

Reader's Guide

Marcus Aurelius is significant as the last emperor of the Pax Romana and a Stoic philosopher whose work Meditations is a key source for understanding ancient Stoic philosophy. His reign faced military pressures from Germanic peoples and the devastating Antonine Plague. The column and equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius still stand in Rome, erected in celebration of his military victories. His writings have been praised by fellow writers, philosophers, monarchs, and politicians centuries after his death. The succession of his son Commodus has been a subject of debate among historians. The major sources for his life are patchy and frequently unreliable, with the Historia Augusta biographies considered more accurate for his reign, while his own Meditations offer a window on his inner life but make few specific references to worldly affairs.

Did You Know?

• Marcus Aurelius was three years old when his father died.
• He served as Roman consul in 140, 145, and 161.
• The Antonine Plague caused the deaths of five to ten million people during his reign.
• His work Meditations is one of the most important sources for the modern understanding of ancient Stoic philosophy.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"(full text)There are many different translations of these, often with different nuances of interpretation and sometimes different arrangements." — Marcus Aurelius "He was a man who looked at what ought to be done, not to the reputation which is got by a man's acts." — Marcus Aurelius "Ἕωθεν προλέγειν ἑαυτῷ: συντεύξομαι περιέργῳ, ἀχαρίστῳ, ὑβριστῇ, δολερῷ, βασκάνῳ, ἀκοινωνήτῳ: πάντα ταῦτα συμβέβηκεν ἐκείνοις παρὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ κακῶν." — Marcus Aurelius "Say to yourself in the early morning: I shall meet today inquisitive, ungrateful, violent, treacherous, envious, uncharitable men.

All these things have come upon them through ignorance of real good and ill." — Marcus Aurelius