“Tell me again, Maximus. Join Facebook to connect with Marcus Maximus Aurelius and others you may know. [320], A close up view of the Equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius in the Capitoline Museums, Marcus's victory column, established in Rome either in his last few years of life or after his reign and completed in 193, was built to commemorate his victory over the Sarmatians and Germanic tribes in 176. [106] Fronto replied that he was surprised to discover Marcus counted Atticus as a friend (perhaps Atticus was not yet Marcus's tutor), and allowed that Marcus might be correct,[107] but nonetheless affirmed his intent to win the case by any means necessary: '[T]he charges are frightful and must be spoken of as frightful. 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). Marcus Aurelius was the Emperor of the Roman Empire (Caesar). Commodus, upon hearing this, attempts to persuade his father … [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. Since I became Caesar, I … Marcus Aurelius (/ ɔː ˈ r iː l i ə s /; Latin language: Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus; Rome, 26 April 121 AD – Vienna, 17 March 180 AD) was Roman Emperor from 161 to 180. Marcus Aurelius was the Emperor of the Roman Empire (Caesar). [289] At the end of his history of Marcus's reign, Cassius Dio wrote an encomium to the emperor, and described the transition to Commodus in his own lifetime with sorrow:[291]. Marcus was born during the reign of Hadrian to the emperor's nephew, the praetor Marcus Annius Verus, and the heiress Domitia Calvilla. [76] He was being 'fitted for ruling the state', in the words of his biographer. The senate would soon grant him the name Augustus and the title imperator, and he would soon be formally elected as Pontifex Maximus, chief priest of the official cults. [285] Raoul McLaughlin writes that the travel of Roman subjects to the Han Chinese court in 166 may have started a new era of Roman–Far East trade. She was the first of at least thirteen children (including two sets of twins) that Faustina would bear over the next twenty-three years. I love you and you are not here' in their correspondence. Cite this Page: Citation. Do I not know that you went to Alsium with the intention of devoting yourself to games, joking, and complete leisure for four whole days? But if he had put his family first he would not have risked all to honor the dead Emperor’s last wishes for a legacy greater than his conquests. Birley, 'Hadrian to the Antonines', p. 156. 1976 quotes from Marcus Aurelius: 'You have power over your mind - not outside events. Marcus Aurelius Life Quotes Look within. Crafted of bronze in circa 175, it stands 11.6 ft (3.5 m) and is now located in the Capitoline Museums of Rome. Marcus Aurelius, however, is not … Pulleyblank, Edwin G.; Leslie, D. D.; Gardiner, K. H. J. [162] If his funeral followed those of his predecessors, his body would have been incinerated on a pyre at the Campus Martius, and his spirit would have been seen as ascending to the gods' home in the heavens. [250] A second force, under Avidius Cassius and the III Gallica, moved down the Euphrates, and fought a major battle at Dura. [51] While his motives are not certain, it would appear that his goal was to eventually place the then-too-young Marcus on the throne. [167][note 11] Aside from the fact that the twins shared Caligula's birthday, the omens were favorable, and the astrologers drew positive horoscopes for the children. [189], The early days of Marcus's reign were the happiest of Fronto's life: Marcus was beloved by the people of Rome, an excellent emperor, a fond pupil, and perhaps most importantly, as eloquent as could be wished. Professional jurists called him 'an emperor most skilled in the law'[271] and 'a most prudent and conscientiously just emperor'. [54][note 4], On 24 January 138, Hadrian selected Aurelius Antoninus, the husband of Marcus's aunt Faustina the Elder, as his new successor. In 136 the emperor Hadrian (reigned 117–138) inexplicably announced as his eventual successor a certain Lucius Ceionius Commodus (henceforth L. Aelius Caesar), and in that same year young Marcus was engaged to Ceionia Fabia, the daughter of Commodus. [6] The main narrative source for the period is Cassius Dio, a Greek senator from Bithynian Nicaea who wrote a history of Rome from its founding to 229 in eighty books. Barnes, Timothy D. 'Some Persons in the Historia Augusta', Birley, Anthony R. 'Hadrian to the Antonines'. My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Dio adds that from Marcus's first days as counsellor to Antoninus to his final days as emperor of Rome, "he remained the same [person] and did not change in the least. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. His campaigns against Germans and Sarmatians were also commemorated by a column and a temple built in Rome. A man should be upright, not be kept upright. Marcus thus was related to several of the most prominent families of the new Roman establishment, which had consolidated its social and political power under the Flavian emperors (69–96), and, indeed, the ethos of that establishment is relevant to his own actions and attitudes. Barnes, 'Hadrian and Lucius Verus', pp. Birley believes there is some truth in these considerations. [246] Before the end of 163, however, Roman forces had moved north to occupy Dausara and Nicephorium on the northern, Parthian bank. Maximus, talk. [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'. '[212] He encouraged Marcus to rest, calling on the example of his predecessors (Antoninus had enjoyed exercise in the palaestra, fishing, and comedy),[213] going so far as to write up a fable about the gods' division of the day between morning and evening – Marcus had apparently been spending most of his evenings on judicial matters instead of at leisure. Annette L. Juliano and Judith A. Lerner (eds). [74], As quaestor, Marcus would have had little real administrative work to do. [48] Alexander's influence – an emphasis on matter over style and careful wording, with the occasional Homeric quotation – has been detected in Marcus's Meditations. He believed Marcus was 'beginning to feel the wish to be eloquent once more, in spite of having for a time lost interest in eloquence'. [99] Marcus spent time with Fronto's wife and daughter, both named Cratia, and they enjoyed light conversation. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. [317], The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius in Rome is the only Roman equestrian statue which has survived into the modern period. Citations to the works of Fronto are cross-referenced to C.R. Barnes, 'Hadrian and Lucius Verus', p. 68. 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. Download the whole book free of charge. It shows the strong influence of Stoicism on Marcus and has been held by generations as the thoughts of a philosopher-king. Marcus consented to Antoninus's proposal. Inspirational Good Look. together with the preliminary discourse of the learned Gataker” View the list Some people say I have attitude - maybe I do... but I think you have to. When Marcus was an old man, exhausted not only by age but also by labors and cares, he suffered a serious illness while visiting the Pannonians. He led a Twelve Year Campaign in Germania, and his legions there were commanded by the Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius.He was murdered by his son, Commodus, because Marcus had instead appointed Maximus to be his successor. He was made consul soon after. 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. [280][note 17] Roman coins from the reigns of Tiberius to Aurelian have been found in Xi'an, China (site of the Han capital Chang'an), although the far greater amount of Roman coins in India suggests the Roman maritime trade for purchasing Chinese silk was centred there, not in China or even the overland Silk Road running through Persia. Disappears, Injury, Itself, Reject, Sense, Your. Maecianus was recalled, made senator, and appointed prefect of the treasury (aerarium Saturni). Although the main society literary figure of the age, Fronto was a dreary pedant whose blood ran rhetoric, but he must have been less lifeless than he now appears, for there is genuine feeling and real communication in the letters between him and both of the young men. Fronto felt that, because of Marcus's prominence and public duties, lessons were more important now than they had ever been before. For 25 years, I have conquered, spilt blood, expanded the empire. III'. [242] A new king was installed: a Roman senator of consular rank and Arsacid descent, Gaius Julius Sohaemus. In the East, the Roman Empire fought successfully with a revitalized Parthian Empire and the rebel Kingdom of Armenia. [89] Atticus was an inveterate opponent of Stoicism and philosophic pretensions. [161], Antoninus's funeral ceremonies were, in the words of the biographer, 'elaborate'. When he criticized the insincerity of conventional language, Fronto took to defend it. Husband of Salonia Matidia: Levick (2014), p. 161. His condition did not improve, and he abandoned the diet prescribed by his doctors, indulging himself in food and drink. Marcus Aurelius. [193] Vologases entered the Kingdom of Armenia (then a Roman client state), expelled its king and installed his own – Pacorus, an Arsacid like himself. Marcus Aurelius wrote the Meditations as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. Marcus was consul in 140, 145, and 161. 'When Glass Was Treasured in China'. tags: opinions, philosophy. 1 IV' in imperial titulature. [58] Marcus reportedly greeted the news that Hadrian had become his adoptive grandfather with sadness, instead of joy. [238], The Armenian capital Artaxata was captured in 163. [316] The oldest surviving complete manuscript copy is in the Vatican library and dates to the 14th century. At Hadrian's request, Antoninus's daughter Faustina was betrothed to Lucius. Marcus makes no apparent reference to the marriage in his surviving letters, and only sparing references to Faustina. When he became emperor, Marcus was renamed as Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus – a lengthy moniker common to rulers back then. Malay Peninsula). [62] His remains were buried quietly at Puteoli. [305] Their children included: Except where otherwise noted, the notes below indicate that an individual's parentage is as shown in the above family tree. After Severianus made some unsuccessful efforts to engage Chosrhoes, he committed suicide, and his legion was massacred. [194] The governor of Cappadocia, the frontline in all Armenian conflicts, was Marcus Sedatius Severianus, a Gaul with much experience in military matters. Numerous measures were promulgated and judicial decisions made, clearing away harshnesses and anomalies in the civil law, improving in detail the lot of the less-favoured—slaves, widows, minors—and giving recognition to claims of blood relationship in the field of succession (see inheritance). The major sources depicting the life and rule of Marcus are patchy and frequently unreliable. Marcus Aurelius : My powers will pass to Maximus, to hold in trust until the Senate is ready to rule once more. To what extent he intended them for eyes other than his own is uncertain; they are fragmentary notes, … He may have been known as Marcus Annius Catilius Severus, at birth or some point in his youth, or Marcus Catilius Severus Annius Verus. [153][note 9] It was the first time that Rome was ruled by two emperors. [252], Cassius's army, although suffering from a shortage of supplies and the effects of a plague contracted in Seleucia, made it back to Roman territory safely. Writing to Fronto, he declared that he would not speak about his holiday. Marcus Aurelio "Maximus" Born: 1973-08-18 AGE: 47 Fortaleza, Ceara Brazil. What I was hoping for then, I have now. [81] In April 145, Marcus married Faustina, legally his sister, as had been planned since 138. His name at birth was supposedly Marcus Annius Verus,[11] but some sources assign this name to him upon his father's death and unofficial adoption by his grandfather, upon his coming of age,[12][13][14] or at the time of his marriage. [215] Marcus Aurelius put on Fronto's voice to chastise himself: ''Much good has my advice done you', you will say!' [113] He disdained philosophy and philosophers and looked down on Marcus's sessions with Apollonius of Chalcedon and others in this circle. This was a historical moment for Rome because, for the first time, it had two … (His adoptive brother, nearly 10 years his junior, was brought into official prominence in due time.) The field most congenial to him seems to have been the law. Lucius Dasumius Tullius Tuscus, a distant relative of Hadrian, was in Upper Pannonia, succeeding the experienced Marcus Nonius Macrinus. Marcus married Antoninus's daughter Faustina in 145. But for my part, I admire him all the more for this very reason, that amid unusual and extraordinary difficulties he both survived himself and preserved the empire. 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. Then another: the girl alone. [64] For his dutiful behaviour, Antoninus was asked to accept the name 'Pius'. 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. [90] He thought the Stoics' desire for apatheia was foolish: they would live a 'sluggish, enervated life', he said. [166] On 31 August, she gave birth at Lanuvium to twins: T. Aurelius Fulvus Antoninus and Lucius Aurelius Commodus. Iain King explains that Marcus's legacy was tragic: "[The emperor's] Stoic philosophy – which is about self-restraint, duty, and respect for others – was so abjectly abandoned by the imperial line he anointed on his death. It is the private thoughts of the world’s most powerful man giving advice to himself on how to make good on the responsibilities and obligations of his positions. [237] He returned to Rome immediately thereafter, and sent out special instructions to his proconsuls not to give the group any official reception. Maximus : [removes helmet and turns around to face Commodus] My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions and loyal servant to the TRUE emperor, Marcus Aurelius. [133], Lucius started his political career as a quaestor in 153. This matter must be our next topic; for our history now descends from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust, as affairs did for the Romans of that day. Ctesiphon was taken and its royal palace set to flame. P. Julius Geminius Marcianus, an African senator commanding X Gemina at Vindobona (Vienna), left for Cappadocia with detachments from the Danubian legions. [71] Marcus would struggle to reconcile the life of the court with his philosophic yearnings. [140], In 156, Antoninus turned 70. His master, he writes to Fronto, was an unpleasant blowhard, and had made 'a hit at' him: 'It is easy to sit yawning next to a judge, he says, but to be a judge is noble work'. [170], Soon after the emperors' accession, Marcus's eleven-year-old daughter, Annia Lucilla, was betrothed to Lucius (in spite of the fact that he was, formally, her uncle). like unto them are the children of men. [283] It is believed that the plague was smallpox. While on campaign between 170 and 180, Marcus wrote his Meditations in Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. The emperors permitted free speech, evidenced by the fact that the comedy writer Marullus was able to criticize them without suffering retribution. For this reason, Marcus decided not only against bringing more barbarians into Italy, but even banished those who had previously been brought there. This new impetus westwards was probably due to attacks from tribes further east. [267], The Costoboci, coming from the Carpathian area, invaded Moesia, Macedonia, and Greece. 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). He was too anxious to relax. He would criticize himself in the Meditations for 'abusing court life' in front of company. Suetonius a possible lover of Sabina: One interpretation of, Lover of Hadrian: Lambert (1984), p. 99 and. The governing class of the first age of the Roman Empire, the Julio-Claudian, had been little different from that of the late Republic: it was urban Roman (despising outsiders), extravagant, cynical, and amoral. However, although he was granted the name Augustus and the title imperator , and was elected Pontifex Maximus , Marcus appears to have taken these positions with some hesitation, having to be compelled to do so. [80] Never particularly healthy or strong, Marcus was praised by Cassius Dio, writing of his later years, for behaving dutifully in spite of his various illnesses. Marcus and his cousin-wife Faustina had at least 13 children during their 30-year marriage,[123][303] including two sets of twins. Height 5'10" 177.8 cm Weight 170 lbs 77.11 kg Association: Elite Mixed Fighters Class: Welterweight. This was not a new thing, but this time the numbers of settlers required the creation of two new frontier provinces on the left shore of the Danube, Sarmatia and Marcomannia, including today's Czechia, Slovakia, and Hungary. [109], By the age of twenty-five (between April 146 and April 147), Marcus had grown disaffected with his studies in jurisprudence, and showed some signs of general malaise. Upon his adoption by Antoninus as heir to the throne, he was known as Marcus Aelius Aurelius Verus Caesar and, upon his ascension, he was Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus until his death;[17] Epiphanius of Salamis, in his chronology of the Roman emperors On Weights and Measures, calls him Marcus Aurelius Verus. The formalities of the position would follow. [214] Marcus could not take Fronto's advice. He eventually killed Commodus, but died shortly after. Marcus Aurelius: Ah, yes. Birley, 'Hadrian to the Antonines', p. 164. [183], In either autumn 161 or spring 162,[note 12] the Tiber overflowed its banks, flooding much of Rome. Facebook da a la gente el poder de compartir y … "[299], In the first two centuries of the Christian era, it was local Roman officials who were largely responsible for the persecution of Christians. Dio is vital for the military history of the period, but his senatorial prejudices and strong opposition to imperial expansion obscure his perspective. But if he had put his family first he would not have risked all to honor the dead Emperor’s last wishes for a legacy greater than his conquests. Aurelius’ father died in c. 124 … Will you accept this great honor I have offered you? [225] Critics declaimed Lucius's luxurious lifestyle,[226] saying that he had taken to gambling, would 'dice the whole night through',[227] and enjoyed the company of actors. Marcus made some show of resistance: the biographer writes that he was 'compelled' to take imperial power. It is most probable, however, that Marcus’s conscience impelled him to carry out loyally what he believed to have been the plan by which alone he himself had eventually reached the purple. [169] The births were celebrated on the imperial coinage. [288], Marcus was succeeded by his son Commodus, whom he had named Caesar in 166 and with whom he had jointly ruled since 177. His mother, Domitia Lucilla was a noblewoman, heiress to one of the largest brickwork factory in Rome. Do you see that map, Maximus? Martin Hammond's translation of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, like his Iliad and Odyssey, is the work of an unusually gifted translator, and one who understands the value added by careful attention to supplementary material. The long years of Marcus’s apprenticeship under Antoninus are illuminated by the correspondence between him and his teacher Fronto. Clemens was from the frontier province of Pannonia and had served in the war in Mauretania. Marcus, with his preference for the philosophic life, found the imperial office unappealing. [209], Marcus took a four-day public holiday at Alsium, a resort town on the coast of Etruria. [182] Soon, however, he would find he had many anxieties. Born: 121. [268], Like many emperors, Marcus spent most of his time addressing matters of law such as petitions and hearing disputes,[269] but unlike many of his predecessors, he was already proficient in imperial administration when he assumed power. Maximus: For the glory of the empire, sire. [147], After Antoninus died in 161, Marcus was effectively sole ruler of the Empire. When Hadrian died, Antoninus assumed command. Updates? 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. [192] One of those kings, Vologases IV of Parthia, made his move in late summer or early autumn 161. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next. [160], In accordance with his will, Antoninus's fortune passed on to Faustina. His training as a Stoic, however, had made the choice clear to him that it was his duty. "[292], Michael Grant, in The Climax of Rome, writes of Commodus:[293], The youth turned out to be very erratic, or at least so anti-traditional that disaster was inevitable. [19] The gens Annia was of Italian origins (with legendary claims of descendance from Numa Pompilius) and a branch of it moved to Ucubi, a small town south east of Córdoba in Iberian Baetica. [276][277][278] In addition to Republican-era Roman glasswares found at Guangzhou along the South China Sea,[279] Roman golden medallions made during the reign of Antoninus and perhaps even Marcus have been found at Óc Eo, Vietnam, then part of the Kingdom of Funan near the Chinese province of Jiaozhi (in northern Vietnam).