Marcus Aurelius: A Biography

... unless you have a particular interest in the history of the Roman Empire and/or the life of Marcus Aurelius. It does not read like a novel, as one previous reviewer claimed. It's quite long and detailed, and utterly devoid of salacious gossip. It does not advance any paradigmatic explanation for the 'decline and fall' of Rome, In fact, it scrupulously avoids all "post-modernist" leaps of speculation; author Anthony Birley examines his sources and presents ample documentation of his narrative, much of it from surviving correspondences of the principals, without over-drawing conclusions. This is a modestly stated, drily documented, dispassionate biography, without any hoopla or frills. And, as the song says, " that's the way I like It! Uh uh huh!" I do have a particular interest in Roman history. I studied Latin and I can still read it. Then I have lived in Rome, in a building constructed on the ruins of the Teatro Marcello, where Julius Caesar was assassinated. Every day I used to walk through the ruins around the Capitoline, past the Forum, often through the Arch of Titus and past the bronze equestrian statue of Marcus Aurelius. It gets under your skin, Rome does. It's like penetrating the Mind of Time and fingering Memory itself. Memory is what explains things in flux - history, biological evolution, geology, and astrophysics. I also have a persistent interest in Marcus Aurelius, the philosopher emperor. So for me, this dry text was like rain on a parched cornfield or gelato to a footsore tourist.

I thought Anthony Birley's biography on Marcus Aurelius proves to be his best work. Its well written, easy to read and thanks to many sources, quite complete and informative. The biography centered more around the man instead of politics or warfare. You won't learned much about the Roman military history during the period of Marcus Aurelius but you will read quite a bit on what drove this man, how he thought and why. Birley write with certain objectively and with fairness regarding Marcus Aurelius. He allowed the readers to understand his subject and allowed the readers to make their own judgement on his subject. Overall, one of the better books on a Roman Emperor, I just wished that there were more attention paid to Marcus Aurelius' military life.

This book about the emperor-philosopher who ruled the Roman empire in the late second century AD is pure joy. Written by Anthohy Birley, a professor of Ancient History, the book is a learned and comprehensive account of Aurelius' life and times. Marcus Aurelius was a fascinating figure - not only was he a mighty emperor, spending long years in the battle field and dealing with a horrible plague ravaging throughout the Roman Empire but he was also a philosopher who recorded his stoic reflections of commitment to virtue above pleasure in his "meditations". Birley manages in his book to bring this extraordinary man of 1800 years ago to life for today's reader, and I would recommend this book not only to scholars, studying Roman history, but also to anyone who likes quality reading - this is a well written history book that reads like a very good novel!