A Companion to Marcus Aurelius (Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World Book 186) 1st Edition by Marcel van Ackeren (PDF)

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A COMPANION TO MARCUS AURELIUS Considered the last of the “Five Good Emperors,” Marcus Aurelius ruled the Roman Empire from ad 161 until his death in 180 – yet his influence on philosophy continues to resonate in the modern age through his Meditations. A Companion to Marcus Aurelius presents the first comprehensive collection of essays to explore all essential facets relating to contemporary Marcus Aurelius studies. Featuring contributions from top international scholars in relevant fields, initial readings provide an overview of source material by addressing such topics as manuscript transmission, historical written sources, archaeological evidence, artifacts, and coins. Readings continue with state-of-the-art discussions of various aspects of Marcus Aurelius – his personal biography; political, cultural, and intellectual background; and aspects of his role as emperor, reformer of administration, military leader, and lawgiver. His Meditations are analyzed in detail, including the form of the book, his way of writing, and the various aspects of his philosophy. The final series of readings addresses evolving aspects of his reception. A Companion to Marcus Aurelius offers important new insights on a figure of late antiquity whose unique voice has withstood the centuries to influence contemporary life.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐A COMPANION TO MARCUS AURELIUS could have just as easily been titled THE COMPLETE MARCUS AURELIUS. No less than 34 chapters by multiple authorship cover the life and times of Marcus Aurelius (Roman Emperor from 180-193AD). The last of the so-called “Five Good Emperors”, Marcus Aurelius has also been likened to Plato’s “Philosospher King” and is certainly well known for his “Meditations”. Part I of this book deals with the various types of evidence for reconstructing a narrative pertaining to the reign of Marcus Aurelius; no easy task. From the writings of Cassius Dio to archaeological and literary sources, a picture of MA begins to emerge. Then, in Part II, we have Biography and Background; Part III – “Marcus the Emperor” – contains essays on Administratrion, Religion, War, and the Empire after Marcus’s death. The latter is particularly thought provoking and carries the caveat that it is not always so obvious when it comes to the inevitability of unfolding historical events; Part IV (the most important and interesting for this reviewer) discusses the “Material Forms of Self-Representation” for MA. From the Column of MA, his Equestrian Statue, Coins, Portraits, and Reliefs depicting his deeds, we can gain a fairly accurate picture of how he looked, acted, and was regarded. The “myth” that his Equestrian Statue was spared because later generations thought that it represented the Emperor Constantine is happily eliminated. The largest section of the book (Part V – some 150 pages) focuses on “Marcus the Philosopher”; Part VI – “Reception” – considers the reaction to MA from Antiquity and the Medieval Period up to Contemporary times.This book belongs in the library of anyone interested in Marcus Aurelius and a time that was once thought to be (possibly erroneously) a watershed in the history of the Roman Empire.

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