Roman Marble head of Marcus Aurelius

myminifactory

Marcus Aurelius was born in 121 C.E., with his early education guided by the Emperor Hadrian. Later, he was adopted by Emperor Antoninus Pius in 138 C.E. After studying rhetoric under Fronto, Marcus abandoned this pursuit for philosophy. In AD 161, Marcus became Emperor himself, initially alongside Lucius Verus, and then as sole Emperor in AD 169. Despite facing continuous attacks throughout his reign, especially in central Europe, he found time to establish four Chairs of Philosophy in Athens, each dedicated to one of the principal philosophical traditions: Platonic, Aristotelian, Stoic, and Epicurean. Marcus died in AD 180. His reputation as a philosopher rests on a single work, the Meditations. This personal notebook was probably written while he was campaigning in central Europe between AD 171-175. The entries appear to be unordered and may have been composed in their original order. Repeated themes and occasional quotes from other authors, such as those found in Med. 4.46 and 11.33-39, contribute to this impression. Book One is somewhat different from the rest of the text and may have been written separately, as suggested by a plan outlined in Med. 6.48. The first recorded mention of the Meditations dates back to AD 364 by Themistius. The current Greek title, ta eis heauton ('to himself'), possibly derived from a lost manuscript, is first recorded around AD 900 by Arethas. The modern text primarily originates from two sources: a Vatican manuscript and a lost manuscript that served as the basis for the first printed edition in 1558. Beyond the Meditations, there exists a partial correspondence between Marcus and his rhetoric teacher Fronto, dating back to earlier periods of Marcus' life (c. AD 138-166), discovered as a palimpsest in 1815. Although this discovery sheds light on Marcus as an individual, it contributes little to our understanding of his philosophy.