Born A. D. 121 Died A. D. 180
Roman emperor and philosopher
[As a child I learned] to bear pain and be content with little, to work with my own hands, to mind my own business, to be slow to listen to slander.
Corbis-Bettmann. Reproduced by permission.
Roman history is full of cruel emperors [see sidebar], but the list of distinguished ones is regrettably short. If any emperor belongs on the distinguished list, it is Marcus Aurelius, who ruled the empire at the height of its power but had to deal with a number of troubles on all sides. Nor was he only an emperor. As a philosopher, Marcus developed a Stoic view of life that advised patience and strength of character. These were qualities that would help him during the rocky years of his leadership.
His father died when he was two, and Marcus Aurelius was raised by his grandfather, a consul of Rome. His grandfather gave him a strong moral education, as Marcus later recalled in his great philosophical work, The Meditations. Among the things he learned from his grandfather, he said, were generosity, respect for the gods, “not only refraining from wrongdoing but even from thoughts of it,” and a simple way of life.
In his youth, Rome was ruled by Hadrian (HAY-dree-uhn; ruled a. d. 117-138), second of the “good” emperors, of which Marcus would be the fourth and last. Hadrian took an
Interest in his education and helped see to it that Marcus received the best learning available. At the age of twelve, he embarked on a course of education that required three tutors, one of them a Greek expert on Homer.
One of his tutors exposed him to the philosophy of Stoicism (STOH-i-siz-um), which had originated in Greece. The Stoics were chiefly concerned with ethics, or morality, and placed an emphasis on dignity, bravery, and self-control. Today the word stoic in English refers to someone who withstands pain or misfortune without complaining. Marcus, who is described as having been serious even as a child, took to the Stoic philosophy instantly, wearing rough clothes and sometimes sleeping on the ground. A full range of training in sports, from boxing to riding to running, added to his physical discipline.
Later his tutors would include two highly distinguished men. Hadrian's role in securing their services showed how much he admired the young Marcus. Herodes Atticus (huh-ROH-deez AT-i-kuhs; c. a. d. 101-177) certainly did not need the job; he was an incredibly wealthy man. He agreed to tutor Marcus in Greek simply because Hadrian asked him to. Fronto (FRAHN-toh; c. a. d. 100-166), a consul and lawyer, took over Marcus's education in Latin. Both men were highly respected orators (OHR-uh-turz), or speakers.
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