Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor from 161-180. He was the last of the Five Good Emperors, and is also considered one of the most important Stoic philosophers.
Aurelius was born on April 26th, 121, into a wealthy family. His father died when he was three years old, leaving him in the care of his mother and grandmother.
As an adult, Marcus Aurelius became emperor in 161 CE after being adopted by Antoninus Pius. He ruled for 19 years until his death in 180 CE. During his reign, he fought off Germanic tribes who were invading Rome and fought several wars against Parthia (an empire that existed along the eastern border of modern day Iran).
Marcus Aurelius wrote Meditations while on campaign during Roman invasions of Germania and Sarmatia from approximately 167 to 170 CE (it is not known exactly when he began writing it). The book is a collection of personal thoughts written as private reflections or notes. It contains some of the most popular quotations from Stoicism including: “The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury” (3:1) and “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one”. He also left an unfinished autobiography that describes his military campaigns against the Germanic tribes in Gaul (modern day France), Britain, and Pannonia (modern day Hungary).
