121-180 A.D.
Marcus Aurelius, who assumed
power in 161 A.D., was the fifth of the "Adoptive Emperors", the Golden
Age of the Empire under the emperors Nerva, Trajan,
Hadrian, Antoninus Pius, and himself. Unfortunately,
Marcus Aurelius broke with the tradition of adopting the best man for the job,
and passed the Empire on to his own son; the dynasty soon came to an end. Marcus
ruled during difficult times; famine and plague hurt Rome within, and barbarians
were pushing back the borders from without. Marcus Aurelius is best known as
the philosopher-emperor who wrote down his "meditations" in Greek;
they are among the best examples of Stoic philosophy which we have.
Check
out a WEB SITE
Student Work:
Ben
S.
Alyssa
C.
Project designed and implemented by
Lee Burnett and the eighth grade Latin students of Germantown
Academy.
February 2002