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Marcus Aurelius

Philosopher-King
Brief Description
The moving life and legacy of Rome's great emperor philosopher.This book guides us through the fascinating life and writings of Marcus Aurelius, Stoic philosopher and Roman emperor. Philosopher William O. Stephens explores Marcus's reluctant rise to power, his marriage, and his efforts to mould his son... Read More
Format: Hardback
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The gripping life, times, thought and legacy of Stoic emperor Marcus Aurelius.

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The moving life and legacy of Rome's great emperor philosopher.

This book guides us through the fascinating life and writings of Marcus Aurelius, Stoic philosopher and Roman emperor. Philosopher William O. Stephens explores Marcus's reluctant rise to power, his marriage, and his efforts to mould his son into a just successor. He examines Marcus's Stoic tenets as he describes the struggles of dealing with a fifteen-year pandemic, the betrayal of a trusted general, social upheaval centred on a new 'superstition' (Christianity), and how Marcus's determination to stabilise the empire's borders resulted in strife, broken treaties, and protracted wars. This gripping narrative of Marcus's life, times, and thought, as well as his complex legacy will appeal to all those interested in Roman history.

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  • Marcus Aurelius
    The moving life and legacy of Rome's great emperor philosopher.This book guides us through the fascinating life and writings of Marcus Aurelius, Stoic philosopher and Roman emperor. Philosopher William O. Stephens explores Marcus's reluctant rise to power, his marriage, and his efforts to mould his son into a just successor. He examines Marcus's Stoic tenets as he describes the struggles...
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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781836391166

Publisher: Reaktion Books

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 13 October 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Reaktion Books

Illustration: 20 illustrations

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Width: 138.0mm

Height: 216.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 232

About the Author

William O. Stephens is professor emeritus of philosophy at Creighton University. His books include Epictetus's Encheiridion: A New Translation and Guide to Stoic Ethics.

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