Historical Figure
Marcus Aurelius
121–180
Roman emperor from 161 to 180
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Biography
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher. He was a member of the Nerva–Antonine dynasty, the last of the rulers later known as the Five Good Emperors and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace, calm, and stability for the Roman Empire lasting from 27 BC to 180 AD. He served as Roman consul in 140, 145, and 161.
In Their Own Words (5)
In your actions, don't procrastinate. In your conversations, don't confuse. In your thoughts, don't wander. In your soul, don't be passive or aggressive. In your life, don't be all about business.
VIII. 51Holiday, Ryan, and Stephen Hanselman. 2016. The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance and the Art of Living. Portfolio/Penguin. 2016. , 2016
Everything is in a state of metamorphosis. Thou thyself art in everlasting change and in corruption to correspond; so is the whole universe.
Meditations. ix. 19. , 1919
In the morning, when thou art sluggish at rousing thee, let this thought be present; “I am rising to a man’s work.”
Meditations. v. 1. , 1919
Be not as one that hath ten thousand years to live; death is nigh at hand: while thou livest, while thou hast time, be good.
Meditations. iv. 17. , 1919
No form of Nature is inferior to Art; for the arts merely imitate natural forms.
Meditations. xi. 10. , 1919
Timeline
The story of Marcus Aurelius, told in moments.
His equestrian statue still stands in Rome. His column still stands in the Piazza Colonna. The Meditations has been read by Frederick the Great, John Stuart Mill, Matthew Arnold, and Bill Clinton. A Roman emperor's private journal, written on campaign, still in print after 1,800 years.
Becomes emperor at 40 after the death of his adoptive father Antoninus Pius. He insists on ruling jointly with his adoptive brother Lucius Verus, the first time Rome has two emperors simultaneously. He doesn't want the job alone. He'll spend most of his reign on horseback, fighting wars he didn't start.
The Antonine Plague, probably smallpox, ravages the empire. Between 5 and 10 million die. Lucius Verus may be among them. The army is decimated. Marcus sells imperial furnishings and his wife's silk dresses at auction to fund the war effort rather than raise taxes. He spends the next decade fighting Germanic tribes along the Danube.
Writes the Meditations in his tent during the Marcomannic Wars. They're personal notes, never intended for publication. "You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." He writes in Greek, addressing himself in the second person. It becomes one of the foundational texts of Stoic philosophy.
Dies near the front lines, probably at Sirmium or Vindobona (modern Vienna), at 58. His son Commodus succeeds him. Commodus is nothing like his father. He fights as a gladiator, renames Rome after himself, and is strangled in his bath by his wrestling partner. The era of the Five Good Emperors ends with Marcus. The long decline begins.
Artifacts (15)
Annia Galeria Faustina, wife of Marcus Aurelius
Giovanni del Cavino
Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae: Marcus Aurelius
Nicolas Beatrizet|Marco Dente|Antonio Lafreri|Marcantonio Raimondi
Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae: Marcus Aurelius
Nicolas Beatrizet|Marco Dente|Cornelis Bos
The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius on the Capitol
Nicolas Beatrizet
Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae: Triumph of Marcus Aurelius
Antonio Lafreri|Nicolas Beatrizet|Antonio Lafreri
Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae: Triumph of Marcus Aurelius
Anonymous|Antonio Lafreri|Claudio Duchetti|Nicolas Beatrizet
Marble portrait of the Empress Faustina the Younger, wife of the emperor Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius Statue, pedestal, elevation (recto) Marcus Aurelius Statue, pedestal, plan (verso)
Anonymous, French, 16th century
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