The Great Emperors: Marco Aurelio

The legend of the birth of Rome

The Ides of March

The seven kings of Rome

The Great Emperors: Augusto

The great filosopher

The Roman calendar

The insulae

Daily life on Ancient Rome

The vestals

The rise and fall of Roman Empire

The aqueducts of Rome

Video: Romulus and Remus

Marcus was born in Rome, in a villa on Mount Celio, April 26 by 121 AD a family of Spanish origin.
Since childhood, the future emperor began to dress and behave like philosophers, getting used to study wound in the pallium (the Greek dress proper, cape, hood) and sleep on the floor. At 12 he began to sleep naked on the bed and began a diet and abstinence (including sexual) so severe that his health suffered in the end.
But this did not stop him then being a soldier among soldiers and to share efforts and hardships during the long years of war at the border towards the Germans.
When he was crowned, all the philosophers of the Empire rejoiced, seeing in him the creator of Utopia.

Marcus proved respectful of the prerogatives of the Senate like no emperor. He handed it to representatives and senators judicial appointments and never allowed that became part of the Senate of dubious characters, instead favoring the entry even of those who could not aspire to available funds.
Particular attention then turned to the courts:

It increased significantly from day to devote to the administration of justice, the processes that allowed the Senators were held in camera and granted to all adults to take the right of prosecutors without giving a reason, whereas before, according to Pletoria law, what was required only for the irresponsible and crazy.

Marcus then took radical measures in the field of public expenditure and made a fire to mark those who were the calumniators by profession for the sole purpose of getting the fourth part of the assets of the victims of their grievances.

In time of famine he distributed among the rest of Italy the wheat to Rome and scrupulously organized supplies.

He restored the streets of Rome and the provincial roads and was careful with severity annonari on supplies.
He gave prosecutors of regions and roads may punish those collectors who had extorted the taxpayers more than they should.

After the fall of some acrobatics during a performance, prescribed to lay on the ground below the mattress, in anticipation of the use made today to protect the networks.
If we consider that those who could threaten to break their necks were slaves, then to the Romans nothing more than things, we understand the attention of the emperor of all men he considered brothers, regardless of their condition and intended to divide the tribulations of life.

When the war bled 'the treasury, the emperor, not wanting to balance the books by tax increases at the expense of the provincials, put up for auction in the forum of Trajan valuable personal property (cup of gold and crystal, china, evening dresses and gems). At the end of the war, restored the balance, Marco authorized anyone wants to resell the purchased goods and recover their money.

Among other things, Mark was also prescribed that the performances of pantomimes began late and lasted all day not to distract people from their occupations. The emperor was also in charge of city traffic by prohibiting horse riding and carriage within the city walls.

He failed to realize its ideals of equality and liberty Stoics because the need to control local finances led him to the construction of a bureaucratic class that soon took upon itself the rights and privileges and formed as a closed class (as the worst bureaucracy today) .
On 17 March 180, in Vienna, before commencing the final war of the Danube, Marcus Aurelius, the last of the great Roman Impperatori, died.

After his death was erected the magnificent column (42 m high.) That is in Piazza Colonna in front of Palazzo Chigi to commemorate their victories on the Danube in front of Marcus Aurelius Germanic. The column was topped by a statue of the Emperor, but now there is mail to S. Paul (the same fate on Trajan's Column which was placed a statue of St. Peter).