Marcus Aurelius

focused on the people, on defense, or simple staying out of war. Each of the Five Good Emperors made a lasting impression and contributed to almost 200 years of peaceful reign. The effects of bad leadership were easily seen after the death of Marcus Aurelius in 180 AD. The empire quickly faced an economic downfall, spiraled into chaos as civil wars broke out across the lands, and people desperately fought for the title of emperor (Five Good Emperors). Without stable and effective leadership who…

which meant the economy was great. Many new ways of constructing buildings were discovered. Emperors were creating social reforms and actually did things that made the Empire flourish. Eventually, the Pax Romana ended with the death of Emperor Marcus Aurelius in 180 A.D. After his death, slowly but surely the Roman Empire started to decline. Emperor Diocletian separated the Empire into two sides. All the Greek speaking lands such as Greece, Egypt, Anatolia, and Syria became known was the East.…

Ancient Rome is thought to be the civilization that has had the biggest impact in world history; it was a political and developmental being that emerged from the city-state of Rome. Throughout time Rome had claimed itself independent and began to spread its kingdom as a republic. After indulging in wars and being ruled by many leaders, Rome began transitioning from its political stance as a republic and expanded into an intimidating empire; thus, the power was now in the possession of the…

The Roman empire had several significant challenges from the beginning of the millennium through the Byzantine empire. First, during the rule of Marcus Aurelius, German tribes invaded some of Rome and it began to ruin the whole empire. After Aurelius ruled his son Commodus took over, Rome's government was controlled by the military for a while. Rome's government changed for the worst during the rulership of Barracks Emperors. Diocletian, the last of the Barracks Emperors, was the first ruler,…

Annius Verus, the children of Marcus Aurelius. The resemblance can be particularly discerned in the hairstyles of Caracalla and Geta; thick, wild hair worn in long, wavy curls - the style of fifty years previous, that which Commodus and Annius Verus would have been depicted as having (Baharal 1992, p.112). The stylistic similarities in the domestic tondo between the Severan and Aurelian families furthermore support Septimius’ constructed inclusion in the gens Aurelius. The piece would have…

the power to control everything belongs to god and that since you do not have this power, you should spend your life focusing on what you can control. In doing this, “you will have earned a place at the feast of the gods.” (Backman, Axen 71) Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor from 161-180 CE, he was also a stoic. Being both…

throughout the film. When the original emperor of Rome, Marcus Aurelius confessed his love and respect for him, and offered the throne to him. We are able to see the fatal flaw which starts the chain reaction of events in this tragic story. Maximus declined the role of leadership for Rome, believing he was not worthy and would rather love to return to his family. His attitude towards the offer, mainly begin too modest, results in the death of Marcus and the dictatorship of Commodus and the…

The causes for the fall of the empire were a mix of everything. There were political, military, social, and economic causes. It all started with the death of Marcus Aurelius, and by the end of the empire’s reign, Rome was really having a rough time of it. After Aurelius’ death, Rome never really had a strong leader. There was even a 50-year period where more than 50 emperors died, whether from assassination, which was the most common cause of death, or sickness. Due to this assassination problem…

disorder. After Augustus defeated Marc Antony, Augustus immediately terminated the prospect of civil war and continued to close the Gates of Janus. (UNRV History) This time period for the romans has been said to end around 180 AD, after the death of Marcus Aurelius.…

In history empires have created and relied upon symbols as a tool to represent and maintain their imperial power. “Far more powerful than religion, far more powerful than money, or even land or violence, are symbols. Symbols are stories. Symbols are pictures, or items, or ideas that represent something else” (Habel 158). Knowing how important symbolism can be in this paper I want to answer these questions; In what ways did empires used symbolism as a tool to manipulate, enhance and show their…