Introduction

This week i'm going to recommend the meditations by marcus aurelius, because we're right on the cusp of getting to everyone's favourite philosopher, emperor. The romans had just emerged into a world in which they had conquered greece and annihilated the last vestiges of carthage. As you will recall, this total victory over all meaningful rivals was a turning point in the transition from republic to empire. But soon the once solidly unified aristocracy began to turn on itself,. Then caesar and octavian tore the old republic sunder and created in its place a new imperial order that ruled the mediterranean from its seat on the palatine hill