Meditations

Written by Marcus Aurelius

Narrated by David Pierce

'The Meditations' is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD, which records his private notes to himself and his ideas on Stoic philosophy. A major theme of Meditations is the importance of analyzing one's judgment of self and others and the development of a cosmic perspective.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Author's Republic
• Release date: Aug 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9781982770044

Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius ruled the Roman Empire from 161 to 180 AD. Born to an upper-class Roman family in 121, Aurelius was adopted by his uncle, the emperor Antoninus Pius, in 138. Aurelius studied Greek and Latin literature, philosophy, and law, and was especially influenced by the Stoic thinker Epictetus. After Pius’s death, Aurelius succeeded the throne alongside his adoptive brother, Lucius Verus. His reign was marked by plague, numerous military conflicts, and the deaths of friends and family—including Lucius Verus in 169. Despite these struggles, the Empire flourished under Marcus’s rule as the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an era from 27 to 180 of relative peace and prosperity for the Roman Empire. Aurelius wrote his Meditations as spiritual exercises never intended for publication, and died at fifty-eight while on campaign against the Germanic tribes.