Marcus Aurelius and the Meditations

Marcus Aurelius (121–180 CE), emperor of Rome from 161 to 180, is often called the philosopher-king Plato imagined, though the comparison has limits. Trained in Stoicism, he was introduced to Epictetus' teaching by his tutor Junius Rusticus. His reign faced severe crises: the Antonine Plague, which killed large numbers across the empire, and long wars against Germanic peoples along the Danube. During these campaigns Marcus wrote private notes to himself in Greek, now called the Meditations.

They remind him to accept death, avoid anger, work for the common good, and remember that all humans share in reason. The Meditations were never intended for publication, which gives them unusual honesty. Historians note tensions in his record: Christians were persecuted in some provinces during his reign, and he chose his unfit son Commodus as successor. The Meditations remain one of the most widely read works of ancient philosophy.