Written in Greek by an intellectual Roman emperor without any intentionof publication, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius offer a wide range offascinating spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the leaderstruggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. Spanningfrom doubt and despair to conviction and exaltation, they cover suchdiverse topics as the question of virtue, human rationality, the natureof the gods and Aurelius's own emotions. But while the Meditations werecomposed to provide personal consolation, in developing his beliefsMarcus also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: aseries of wise and practical aphorisms that have been consulted andadmired by statesmen, thinkers and ordinary readers for almost twothousand years.Martin Hammond's new translation fully expresses the intimacy andeloquence of the original work, with detailed notes elucidating thetext. This edition also includes an introduction by Diskin Clay,exploring the nature and development of the Meditations, a chronology,further reading and full indexes.Marcus Aelius Aurelius Antoninus (121-80) was adopted by the emperorAntoninus Pius and succeeded him in 161, (as joint emperor with adoptivebrother Lucius Verus). He ruled alone from 169, and spent much of hisreign in putting down various rebellions, and was a persecutor ofChristians. His fame rest, above all, on his Meditations, a series ofreflections, strongly influenced by Epictetus, which represent a Stoicoutlook on life. He was succeeded by his natural son, thus ending theperiod of the adoptive emperors.If you enjoyed Meditations, you might like Seneca's Letters from aStoic, also available in Penguin Classics.
