Marcus Aurelius: The Philosopher Emperor
The Ancients19 Loka 2025

Marcus Aurelius: The Philosopher Emperor

He's known as Rome’s philosopher-emperor and faced plague, rebellion and war in the East. Yet Marcus Aurelius ruled with a pen as much as a sword, finding peace in philosophy which still inspires the world today.


In this episode of The Ancients, Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor William Stephens to uncover the life, legacy, and stoic philosophy of Marcus Aurelius. From his rise to emperor at the height of Rome’s power to his struggles with plague, rebellion, and invasion, they unpack how this philosopher-king embodied the ideals of Stoicism while leading through crisis and ask what Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations can tell us about duty, resilience, and the mind of Rome’s most thoughtful ruler?


MORE

Commodus: The Gladiator Emperor

Pax Romana


Presented by Tristan Hughes. Audio editor is Tim Arstall, the producer is Joseph Knight. The senior producer is Anne-Marie Luff.

All music courtesy of Epidemic Sounds

The Ancients is a History Hit podcast.


Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe.


You can take part in our listener survey here:

https://uk.surveymonkey.com/r/6FFT7MK

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jaksot(620)

Ancient China: The Warring States

Ancient China: The Warring States

How did ancient China plunge into 261 years of chaos, and how did that turmoil forge an empire?Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Andrew Meyer to explore the Warring States period, from collapsing ...

7 Touko 59min

The Prehistoric Plague

The Prehistoric Plague

The first ever outbreak of 'plague' - Yersinia Pestis, the most feared disease in human history - was long thought to be the Plague of Justinian in 541 AD. But new studies of ancient DNA have revealed...

3 Touko 48min

The Persian Gulf

The Persian Gulf

Near the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most vital commercial chokepoints, lies an ancient trade route that powered civilisation 4,000 years ago: the Persian Gulf - where goods and ideas flowed ...

30 Huhti 58min

The Last Days of Pompeii

The Last Days of Pompeii

In 79 AD, life in Pompeii unfolded beneath the shadow of a tremoring Mount Vesuvius. Streets bustled, businesses thrived, and merchants built fortunes, unaware disaster was hours away. But what happen...

26 Huhti 1h 6min

The First Tools

The First Tools

What if the first technology was just a stone?Tristan Hughes and Dr. Emma Finestone, - Curator and the Robert J. and Linnet E. Fritz Endowed Chair of Humans Origins at Cleveland Museum of Natural Hist...

23 Huhti 46min

Athens vs Persia: The Legend of Themistocles

Athens vs Persia: The Legend of Themistocles

A legend of the great Greek city of Athens, Themistocles rose from obscurity to save ancient Greece and helped shape one of the greatest naval powers in history. Yet his story ends in exile, condemned...

19 Huhti 54min

The Hittites

The Hittites

What made the Hittites one of the great Bronze Age powers, and how did their empire survive on war, diplomacy and faith? Tristan Hughes is joined by Professor Elena Devecchi to uncover ancient royal i...

16 Huhti 58min

Homo Sapiens vs Neanderthals

Homo Sapiens vs Neanderthals

Tristan Hughes is joined by Ella Al-Shamahi, paleoanthropologist and presenter of the hit BBC series Human, to explore what interactions between early Homo sapiens and Neanderthals may have been like,...

12 Huhti 59min

Suosittua kategoriassa Historia

olipa-kerran-otsikko
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
mayday-fi
huijarit
mystista
rss-ikiuni
totuus-vai-salaliitto
konginkangas
tsunami
sotaa-ja-historiaa-podi
rouva-diktaattori
rss-subjektiivinen-todistaja
rss-sattuu-sita-suomessakin
rss-kirkon-ihmeellisimmat-tarinat
rss-i-dont-like-mondays-2
rss-peter-peter
rss-historian-pitka-oppimaara
apinan-vuosi
maailmanpuu
rss-marilynia-ja-maailmanhistoriaa