Author of Meditations of Writings to Himself (Ta eis heauton) in twelve books. Its first printing appeared in English in 1634. During the reign of Marcus Aurelius the celebrated Pax Romana collapsed - perhaps this made the emperor the most impressive of all Stoics. An important feature of the philosophy was that everything will recur: the whole universe becomes fire and then repeats itself. Marcus Aurelius was born in Rome as an descent from Roman ancestors. When only a small child, he attracted the attention of the Emperor Hadrian (r. 117-138) - a pedophile. He was appointed by the Emperor to a priesthood in 129, and Hadrian also supervised his education. Marcus Aurelius was taught by the most ablest teachers of the time. The Emperor Antonius, who succeeded Hadrian, adopted Marcus Aurelius as his son. He was admitted to the Senate, and then twice the consulship. In 147 he shared tribunician power with Antonius. During this time he began composition of his Meditations. In 161 Marcus Aurelius acceded the throne and shared his imperial power with his adopted brother Lucius Aurelius Verus. Useless and lazy Verus was regarded as a kind of junior emperor, but he died in 169. After Verus death he ruled alone, until he admitted in 177 his own son Commodus to full participation in the government. As an emperor Marcus Aurelius was conservative and just by Roman standards. He was beset by internal disturbances - famines and plagues - and by the external threat that posed by the Germans in the north and the Parthians in the east. Toward the end of his reign he was faced a revolt by Avidius Cassius, whom he praised and attempted to accommodate. Faustina, Marcus Aurelius's wife, may have been involved in this conspiracy. As, year after year, he witnessed the gradual crumbling of the Roman frontiers, he turned more abd more to study of Stoic philosophy. The Latin writings of Marcus Aurelius, letters to a teacher, Fronto, are not interesting, but the "Writings to Himself", called Meditations, are remarkable. They are personal reflections and aphorisms, written for his own edification during a long career of public service, valuable primarly as a personal document, what it is to be a Stoic. His opinions in central philosophical questions are very much alike with Epictetus' (c. 55-135 AD) teachings. Epictetus stressed that inner freedom is to be attained through submission to providence, and rigorous detachment from everything not in our power. Marcus Aurelius's writings reveal, that the public duties depressed him and he wanted to retire to live a simple country life. After his death in Vindobona (now Vienna, Austria) on March 17, 180 the emperor's only son Commodus became Emperor and turned out to be the worst of bad rulers. Marcus Aurelius's reputation is shadowed by his persecution of Christians, whom he considered superstitious and immoral. The fierce cruelty, with which the persecution was carried out in Gaul, was not consistent with his writings. However, Stoics had a profound influence upon both Neoplatonism and Christianity.