,m A Guide to the Thoughts of a Warrior Philosopher

“The Meditations of the second-century Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius is consistently one of the best-selling philosophy books among the general public. Over the years it has also attracted famous admirers, from the Prussian king Frederick the Great to US President Bill Clinton. It continues to attract large numbers of new readers, drawn to its reflections on life and death. Despite this, it is not the sort of text read much by professional philosophers or even, until recently, taken especially seriously by specialists in ancient philosophy. (p. 1)

Of all Rome’s emperors, Marcus Aurelius (r. 161-180 CE) comes down to us across the centuries as the most likable, because we hear him in his own voice: sensible, dutiful, and patient. His book, known to us as The Meditations, survived because it was copied and recopied in medieval monasteries. Marcus wrote in koine, the common Greek dialect used in The New Testament. The Church of Rome would come to view his pagan Stoic philosophy as, well, . . . not incompatible with Christianity.

He was born in Rome on 26 April, 121 CE to an elite family; both his grandfathers served as Consul, an office that still held great prestige, though little real power. As a child, he attracted the attention of Emperor Hadrian, who groomed him as a potential successor. After Hadrian died (138 CE), emperor Antoninus Pius adopted Marcus as his heir, and he ascended the throne in 161 CE. For centuries after his death in 180 CE, Romans remembered Marcus fondly. His superb equestrian statue on Rome’s Capitoline Hill was preserved, when most other imperial statues were melted down, because it was mistaken for the first Christian emperor, Constantine, [see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equestrian_Statue_of_Marcus_Aurelius].

This book is a collection of essays about the 'Meditations' by eleven British, European, Australian, and American classicists and philosophers. The good readers might be wondering, at this point, what possible relevance such an esoteric book might have for an audience interested in military affairs?

Marcus Aurelius wrote his 'Meditations' while commanding his legions on the Roman frontier in the bitter Marcomannic Wars, which dragged on from about 166 to 180 CE, but his writing tells us nothing about tactics, operations, or strategy. For an account of his campaigns, any of the excellent recent biographies are a good starting point such as Frank McLynn’s massive 'Marcus Aurelius: A Life' (2009) or Anthony Birley’s 'Marcus Aurelius' (1987.) But the Stoic philosophy that Marcus advocated and practiced eighteen centuries ago has been promoted in our time as the way of the warrior, most notably in the lectures and teaching of heroic Vice Admiral James B. Stockdale, USN (1923-2005) [ see, https://www.usna.edu/Ethics/_files/documents/stoicism1.pdf and https://www.usna.edu/Ethics/_files/documents/Stoicism2.pdf ].

We don’t know what Marcus would have titled his Meditations, or even if he intended them for others to read, but a much later copyist added the Greek title Eis Heauton (“To Himself”) to the manuscript. The thoughts of a war-fighting emperor are profoundly relevant to modern warfighters, and despite the difficulties of technical vocabulary and academic style, this book makes a significant contribution to our understanding of the text.

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Our Reviewer: Mike Markowitz is an historian and wargame designer. He writes a monthly column for CoinWeek.Com and is a member of the ADBC (Association of Dedicated Byzantine Collectors). His previous reviews include The Last Viking: The True Story of King Harald Hardrada, Ancient Rome: Infographics, Byzantium and the Crusades, A Short History of the Byzantine Empire, Theoderic the Great, The New Roman Empire: A History of Byzantium, Battle for the Island Kingdom, Vandal Heaven, The Eternal Decline and Fall of Rome, Herod the Great: Jewish King in a Roman World, Caesar Rules: The Emperor in the Changing Roman World, Ancient Rome on the Silver Screen, Justinian: Emperor, Soldier, Saint, Persians: The Age of the Great Kings, Polis: A New History of the Ancient Greek City-State, At the Gates of Rome: The Battle for a Dying Empire, Roman Emperors in Context, After 1177 B.C., Cyrus the Great, Barbarians and Romans: The Birth Struggle of Europe, A.D. 400–700, Crescent Dawn: The Rise of the Ottoman Empire and the Making of the Modern Age, The Missing Thread: A New History of the Ancient World Through the Women Who Shaped It, and The Roman Provinces, 300 BCE–300 CE: Using Coins as Sources

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Note: The Cambridge Companion to Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations is also available in hardcover and e-editions.

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