Marcus Aurelius: The Philosopher Emperor
The Ancients19 Okt 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.

Avsnitt(596)

The Truth About Saint Valentine

The Truth About Saint Valentine

St. Valentine of Rome, patron saint of beekeepers and epilepsy, among many other things. But who exactly is the real St Valentine, and how has the story been kept alive? In this episode, Tristan is jo...

13 Feb 202231min

The Largest Roman Palace North of the Alps

The Largest Roman Palace North of the Alps

Fishbourne Roman Palace in West Sussex was first constructed just three decades after the empire’s legions conquered Britain in the first century AD. Rediscovered in 1960, Fishbourne is the largest kn...

10 Feb 202241min

The Origins of London

The Origins of London

London is today one of the greatest cities in the world, and the story of its origins is fittingly spectacular. Founded by the Romans as Londinium in around 47-50 AD, the metropolis served as a major ...

6 Feb 20221h

The Phoenician World

The Phoenician World

Imagine you are a traveller sailing to the major cities around the Mediterranean in 750 BC. You would notice a remarkable similarity in the dress, alphabet, consumer goods, and gods from Gibraltar to ...

3 Feb 20221h 2min

Alexander's Successors at War: The Spartan Adventurer

Alexander's Successors at War: The Spartan Adventurer

It’s here! Today is the publication date of Tristan’s first book, Alexander’s Successors at War: The Perdiccas Years. Focussing in on 323 – 320 BC, the book tells the story of the tumultuous events th...

30 Jan 20221h

The Scholars of Assyria

The Scholars of Assyria

Tens of thousands of clay tablets containing texts written in the ancient Cuneiform script of the Assyrian Empire have been discovered, giving us invaluable insights into the inner workings of the Mes...

27 Jan 202244min

Alexander the Great & The Persian Thermopylae (Part Two)

Alexander the Great & The Persian Thermopylae (Part Two)

In this second part of Tristan’s explainer, he takes us right into the heart of the battle dubbed the Persian Thermopylae. Listen as Alexander begins a full-blooded assault on the Persian Gates, and f...

23 Jan 202239min

Alexander the Great & The Persian Thermopylae (Part One)

Alexander the Great & The Persian Thermopylae (Part One)

In January 330 BC, Alexander the Great faced one of his most difficult challenges to date. A small Persian force, entrenched in a formidable defensive position that blockaded Alexander’s route to the ...

20 Jan 202238min

Populärt inom Historia

motiv
massmordarpodden
p3-historia
historiska-brott
historiepodden-se
olosta-mord
rss-massmordarpodden
rss-seriemordarpodden
historianu-med-urban-lindstedt
rss-brottsligt
konspirationsteorier
krigshistoriepodden
podme-bio-4
nu-blir-det-historia
militarhistoriepodden
harrisons-dramatiska-historia
vetenskapsradion-historia
rss-borgvattnets-hemligheter
palmemordet
rss-arkiv-stieg