Chapters
| Name | Marcus Annius Catilius Severus |
|---|---|
| Ruled as | Imperator Caesar Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus |
| Reign | 7 March 161 – 17 March 180 CE |
| Born | 26 April 121 CE |
| Died | 17 March 180 CE |
Marcus Aurelius was born on April 26, 121 CE in the south of Rome. He was one of the most outstanding and educated emperors of Rome. Due to his extraordinary interest in philosophy, he was called “the philosopher on the throne”.
Marcus came from a great family of Roman aristocrats with Spanish roots. He was the son of Marcus Annius, who died when Marcus was only 11 years old, and Domitia Lucilia. After his father’s death, he found himself under the care of his grandfather, Marcus Annius Verus, a three-time consul and prefect of the capital. He grew up on his Lateran estate. There he obtained his first valuable lessons from distinguished teachers. He received a thorough, comprehensive education.
Youth
As he came from an aristocratic family, his career was bright and he could even reach the highest state offices. From literally boyhood age, he held higher and higher positions. Emperor Hadrian drew attention to the extremely prudent, serious and hardworking boy. At the age of 8, he appointed Marcus a priest of the ancient college of Salia, priests of Mars. The boy efficiently recited from memory the prayers from centuries ago, which at that time almost no one understood anymore. Hadrian jokingly called him “the Truest” (Verissimus), probably because Marcus abhorred lies. Marcus Aurelius, at the age of 15, put on a men’s toga.
Unexpectedly on February 26, 138 CE, only 17 years old Marcus was adopted by his aunt’s husband, Antoninus Pius, the successor to Emperor Hadrian. He also became the foster brother of Lucius Verus, later co-emperor. The boy changed his name and guardian.
Having found himself in the circle of the imperial family, he continued his education under the guidance of the greatest thinkers and sages of that period. Marcus, unlike Verus’ adoptive brother, was extremely talented and clever. He studied philosophy, Greek, art, etc. He had a dozen teachers whom he never forgot. It was they who instilled in him the principles of stoicism. Marcus was very eager to learn, he was fascinated by philosophy and stoicism. He persevered in his views to the end. His philosophical studies resulted in the wonderful work of “Meditations”, which has survived to this day.
Herodes Atticus was his teacher of Greek, and Cornelius Fronton in Latin. His third master was a modest painting teacher, Diognetos instilled in Marcus “an aversion to trivialities, disbelief in what wizards and jugglers say about ordering and expelling evil spirits, no interest in the cultivation of quails and similar nonsense, and for this aroused in him” a distrust with philosophy, the art of writing dialogues from an early age, as well as a love of a straight bed covered with leather”1.
However, the most important for Aurelius’ development were the philosophers. The breakthrough as a young man came when Marcus was 20 years old. Later he thanked the gods “[…] to have written dialogues in my youth; and to have desired a plank bed and skin, and whatever else of the kind belongs to the Grecian discipline”2.
He had two masters of Stoicism:
- Julius Rusticus, who taught him how to cultivate character, protect himself from jokes, understand even enemies. He also taught writing letters and thorough reading. It was from him that Marcus received a copy of Epictetus’ lectures.
- Severus who “converted” Marcus to stoicism. It was he who showed the young student the history and fate of the great representatives of this species in Rome. Above all, he revealed to him “the concept of the essence of a democratic state with the same law for all, a state governed by the principles of equality and justice, and the essence of such harmony, which above all respects the freedom of its subjects”. The life of Marcus Aurelius as primary emperor was based on the philosophy of Epictetus.
