Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Meditations refers not to the practice of siting still with your eyes closed but to a series of books and journals. These writings serve as an insight to the mind of the last of the ‘Five Good Emperors’ of Rome, Marcus Aurelius Antonius. He served as emperor from 161 to 180 A.D. These texts are a collection of his experiences and adventures. They were written to act as a guide for self-improvement, a guide to help the late emperor get through difficult situations.

Marcus Aurelius followed the school of philosophy known as stoicism. Practising this line of thinking helped him endure hardship without feeling the need to effuse his emotions, and to do so without complaint. A lot of his cuneiform was influenced by his philosophy and military expeditions. In fact, it is suspected that his first book was written during his campaign in Pannonia, and his second written on the river Hron known as river Granova historically.

Since these writings were intended for personal use, they were never titled, therefore the whole collection of works is referred to as Marcus Aurelius’ ‘Meditations.’ This series of posts will discuss his life both as a Roman Emperor, and as a famous Philosopher. We will venture into his successes and shortcomings while investigating the utility of his experiences in our modern lives.