Meditations · Book I and beyond
The People of Marcus Aurelius
Book I of the Meditations is a ledger of remembered debts: Marcus thanks, one by one, those who formed him. Gathered here is everyone he names — with biographical notes and links to the passages where they appear.
Ifamilia · 9
Family
Relatives by blood and adoption — those Marcus owed his birth and upbringing to.- Antoninus PiusἈντωνῖνος ὁ Εὐσεβής (стандартная греческая форма с эквивалентом «Pius»)86 – 7 March 161 CE; emperor 138–161Roman emperor 138–161, the adoptive father of Marcus and his immediate political predecessor
- Domitia Lucilla (the Younger)Δομιτία Λουκίλλαc. 100 – c. 155–161 CEmother of Marcus Aurelius
- Faustina the ElderAnnia Galeria Faustina Maiorwife of Antoninus Pius
- Faustina the YoungerAnnia Galeria Faustina Minorwife of Marcus Aurelius (married 145)
- HadrianPublius Aelius HadrianusRoman emperor (117–138)
- Lucius Catilius SeverusΛούκιος Κατίλιος Σεουῆροςc. 60/70 – c. 138/9 CEmaternal great-grandfather of Marcus Aurelius (through marriage to Domitia Lucilla Maior)
- Lucius VerusLucius Aurelius Verusadoptive brother of Marcus Aurelius and his co-emperor (161–169)
- Marcus Annius VerusΜᾶρκος Ἄννιος Οὐῆροςc. 50 – 138 CEpaternal grandfather of Marcus Aurelius
- Marcus Annius Verus the YoungerΜᾶρκος Ἄννιος Οὐῆροςc. 90 – c. 124 CEfather of Marcus Aurelius
IIpraeceptores · 13
Teachers & mentors
Those who personally taught Marcus philosophy, rhetoric and grammar. The core of Book I.- Alexander the GrammarianἈλέξανδρος ὁ γραμματικός / Ἀλέξανδρος ὁ Κοτιαεύςc. 80/90 – c. 150 CE (exact dates conjectural; died in Rome during Marcus's lifetime, before his accession)teacher of Greek language and literature to Marcus Aurelius in Rome
- Alexander the PlatonistἈλέξανδρος ὁ Πλατωνικός2nd century CE, active under Antoninus Pius and Marcus (exact dates of birth and death unknown; if the identification with Peloplaton is correct, he served Marcus during the Parthian war, early 160s)the only teacher in Book I explicitly assigned to the Platonic school
- Apollonius of ChalcedonἈπολλώνιος ὁ Χαλκηδόνιοςfirst half of the 2nd century CE; exact dates unknown (active in Athens and Rome in the 130s–140s)one of the principal Stoic teachers of Marcus Aurelius
- BacchiusΒάκχειος (вариант: Βάκχιος)first half of the 2nd century CE; exact dates unknownthe first of Marcus Aurelius's philosophical teachers in the list at Med. 1.6
- Cinna CatulusΚατοῦλος (форма, употреблённая Marcus'ом в Med. 1.13)2nd century CE, exact dates of birth and death unknown; active during the period of Marcus's education — approximately late 130s to the 140sone of the Stoic teachers of Marcus, mentioned in the canonical list of philosophical teachers…
- Claudius MaximusΚλαύδιος Μάξιμος (форма Μαξίμου в Med. 1.15)2nd century CE; suffect consul (approximately 142 or 144); proconsul of Africa (approximately 158/159, when he presided at the trial of Apuleius); death evidently before the end of Marcus's reign (precise dates unknown)one of the principal Stoic teachers of Marcus (listed in the canonical catalogue of teachers i…
- DiognetusΔιόγνητοςlate 1st / early 2nd century CE (exact dates unknown; probably active in the 130s)one of Marcus Aurelius's early teachers (painting, per SHA
- Gnaeus Claudius SeverusΓναῖος Κλαύδιος Σεουῆρος (форма Σεουήρου в Med. 1.14)2nd century CE, active under Antoninus Pius and Marcus (exact dates of birth and death not known; consulate — approximately 173, the precise date is disputed; death evidently before the end of Marcus's reign)Roman senator, Peripatetic philosopher
- MarcianusΜαρκιανόςfirst half of the 2nd century CE; dates unknownthe third of Marcus Aurelius's philosophical teachers in the list at Med. 1.6
- Marcus Cornelius FrontoΜᾶρκος Κορνήλιος Φρόντωνc. 95 – c. 167 CE (precise dates unknown; born under Domitian or Nerva, died before 169, probably in the mid-160s)leading Latin rhetor of the Antonine age
- Quintus Junius RusticusΚόϊντος Ἰούνιος Ῥουστίκοςc. 100 – after 170 CE (exact dates unknown)principal philosophical mentor of Marcus Aurelius
- Sextus of ChaeroneaΣέξτος ὁ Χαιρωνεύςsecond quarter of the 2nd century CE — after 170/180; taught at Athens and Rome, lived to old age (Marcus continued attending his lectures even as emperor)one of the principal Stoic teachers of Marcus Aurelius
- TandasisΤανδάσις (вариант рукописей: Θανδάσις)first half of the 2nd century CE; dates unknownthe second of Marcus Aurelius's philosophical teachers in the list at Med. 1.6
IIIexempla · 14
Philosophers & contemporaries
Thinkers Marcus cites as examples and figures of his orbit — not his teachers.- Aelius AristidesΠόπλιος Αἴλιος Ἀριστείδης Θεόδωροςc. 117 — c. 181 CE (the exact dates of birth and death are uncertain; active under Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius)the principal representative of the Second Sophistic of the Antonine generation
- Alexander the GreatἈλέξανδρος ὁ Μέγας (Ἀλέξανδρος Γ´)356 – 323 BCEking of Macedon, conqueror of the Persian Empire, pupil of Aristotle
- AugustusImperator Caesar Divi filius Augustus (Gaius Octavius)first Roman emperor (princeps, 27 BCE
- ChrysippusΧρύσιππος ὁ Σολεύςc. 279 — c. 206 BCEthird scholarch of the Stoa
- DemocritusΔημόκριτος ὁ Ἀβδηρίτηςc. 460 – c. 370 BCEfounder (with Leucippus) of the atomist system
- DiogenesΔιογένης ὁ Σινωπεύςc. 412/404 – 323 BCEfounder of Cynicism as a way of life, "the Dog" (ὁ κύων)
- EpictetusἘπίκτητος («Приобретённый» — рабская кличка, не имя собственное)c. 50 – c. 135 CEThe foremost Stoic teacher of the imperial age. He wrote nothing himself
- EpicurusἘπίκουρος341 — 270 BCEfounder of Epicureanism
- HeraclitusἩράκλειτος ὁ Ἐφέσιοςc. 540 – c. 480 BCE (floruit c. 500)Ionian natural philosopher, "the Obscure" (ὁ Σκοτεινός)
- MonimusΜόνιμος ὁ Συρακούσιος2nd half of the 4th century BCEpupil of Diogenes of Sinope and Crates of Thebes
- PlatoΠλάτων428/427 — 348/347 BCEfounder of the Academy, pupil of Socrates
- Plutarch of ChaeroneaΠλούταρχος ὁ Χαιρωνεύςc. 45 — c. 125 CEthe principal philosophical-literary figure of the Greek province in the Antonine age
- SocratesΣωκράτης ὁ Ἀθηναῖοςc. 470 – 399 BCEfounder of ethical philosophy
- TheophrastusΘεόφραστοςc. 371–287 BCEsuccessor of Aristotle at the Lyceum, scholarch of the Peripatetic school (322–287 BCE)