·Rome
Born in Rome
Born into a prominent family with Spanish roots. Emperor Hadrian noticed the boy early and arranged for his education and eventual adoption into the imperial line. Marcus would have preferred a quiet life of study.
Marcus Aurelius never intended to publish his thoughts. The Meditations is a private journal, written in Greek during military campaigns on the Danube frontier, a conversation with himself about how to be a decent person while holding absolute power. He was the last of the Five Good Emperors. Plagues, wars, betrayals. He faced them all and kept writing. The book's power comes from its honesty: it is not a system but a man struggling, night after night, to live up to what he believes. He died at the frontier, possibly of plague, in 180 CE.
Born into a prominent family with Spanish roots. Emperor Hadrian noticed the boy early and arranged for his education and eventual adoption into the imperial line. Marcus would have preferred a quiet life of study.