Marcus Aurelius

Although some people assume we don’t know much about Marcus Aurelius, the truth is that we probably know more about him than most other ancient philosophers, and certainly, there are several modern biographies of Marcus Aurelius but the best is this one by the British historian, Anthony Birley. Birley adopts a scholarly approach but he also keeps quite a tight focus on the events of Marcus’ life. (Frank McLynn’s biography is more widely-read but ranges more freely over topics such as the Roman empire’s economy.)  

This is a very scholarly, decent history of Emperor Marcus Aurelius, full of direct quotes and personal letters. A great alternative to Marcus’ Meditations, this book examines the family politics concerning his son Commodus, and his wars with Parthia and Germany. Birley also provides, in Appendix I, information regarding which sources he considers good and bad in regards to Roman historiography, as he became the main student of Sir Ronald Syme, a reader can feel safe that the information is well researched. I feel all scholars and those passionate about the history of imperial Rome should have a copy… show more.