The major sources depicting the life and rule of Marcus Aurelius are patchy and frequently unreliable. These writings have been praised by fellow writers, philosophers, monarchs, and politicians centuries after his death. Meditations, the writings of 'the philosopher' – as contemporary biographers called Marcus – are a significant source of the modern understanding of ancient Stoic philosophy. The Column and Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius still stand in Rome, where they were erected in celebration of his military victories. His children included Lucilla, who married Lucius, and Commodus, whose succession after Marcus has been a subject of debate among both contemporary and modern historians. Unlike some of his predecessors, Marcus chose not to adopt an heir. Lucius Verus may have died from the plague in 169. The Antonine Plague broke out in 165 or 166 and devastated the population of the Roman Empire, causing the deaths of five to ten million people. The persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire appears to have increased during his reign, but his involvement in this is unlikely, as early Christians living in the 2nd century never claimed him as a persecutor and Tertullian even called Marcus a 'protector of Christians'. He modified the silver purity of the Roman currency, the denarius. Marcus defeated the Marcomanni, Quadi, and Sarmatian Iazyges in the Marcomannic Wars however, these and other Germanic peoples began to represent a troubling reality for the Empire. In the East, the Romans fought successfully with a revitalized Parthian Empire and the rebel Kingdom of Armenia. Under his rule the Roman Empire witnessed heavy military conflict. He married Antoninus' daughter Faustina in 145.Īfter Antoninus died in 161, Marcus Aurelius acceded to the throne alongside his adoptive brother, who reigned under the name Lucius Verus. Now heir to the throne, Marcus studied Greek and Latin under tutors such as Herodes Atticus and Marcus Cornelius Fronto. Hadrian died that year, and Antoninus became emperor. In turn, Antoninus adopted Marcus and Lucius, the son of Aelius. After Hadrian's adoptive son, Aelius Caesar, died in 138, the emperor adopted Marcus's uncle Antoninus Pius as his new heir. His father died when he was three, and his mother and grandfather raised him. Marcus Aurelius was born during the reign of Hadrian to the emperor's nephew, the praetor Marcus Annius Verus, and the heiress Domitia Calvilla. He served as Roman consul in 140, 145, and 161. He was the last of the rulers known as the Five Good Emperors (a term coined some 13 centuries later by Niccolò Machiavelli), and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace, calmness and stability for the Roman Empire lasting from 27 BC to 180 AD.

The coins are the best part of 2000 years old and are exciting to collect.Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ( Latin: English: / ɔː ˈ r iː l i ə s/ aw- REE-lee-əs 26 April 121 – 17 March 180) was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. The great part of this is that you can put together a really nice Roman coin collection with very little money, as many coins (although not all) are common and inexpensive. The Aureus was introduced by Julius Caesar around 49BC and was the principal gold coin until about the 4th century when it was replaced by the gold Solidus. It's not far off the weight of a modern gold sovereign. The standard gold coin was the Aureus and was equal to 25 denarii or 100 sestertii.

Values fluctuated later due to debasement and inflation. As a guide, in the early republic (after 211BC) there was the Sestertius (=4 denarii), Dupondius (=5), As (=10, a tenner), Semis (=20), Quincunx (=24), Triens (=30), Quadrans (=40), Uncia (=120) and Solidus (=1000, it was gold). The Denarius was the standard Roman silver coin and there were a range of others. Roman Republican Coins (about 300BC - 27BC) During the Empire, more than 10,000 different types of coins were created using copper, silver and gold. Coins typically depicted the Emperor on one side and some other image or letters on the other. These mints sometimes produced more than 2 million coins per month to meet demand.

Originally coins were minted only in Rome, but by the third Century there were mints in other countries too.

And all these places used Roman coins throughout the era. It was in existence from 27BC to 476AD, more than 500 years. Category: RomanThe Roman Empire was one of the largest Empires in history, covering most of Europe, Britain, parts of Asia, the Middle East and North Africa.

Hadrian silver denarius