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Rating: 
Summary: The Life of One of History's Greatest Men
Review: Anthony Birley's biography of Marcus Aurelius manages to give the reader a good view of the life of an Emperor by pulling together the very few resources available. Marcus' early years and education are given in good detail including some letters between Marcus and his teachers. It is true that the chapters dealing with Marcus' personal life and family are not as 'exciting' as some might wish but they show a side to an Emperor rarely seen.The Parthian War, which was commanded by Co-Emperor Lucius Verus, is given a good overview. However, the Marcommanic Wars are covered in excellent detail. Anthony Birley reviews all the sources that are available and gives reasons for his conclusions. Coins, The Colume of marcus Aurelius and Cassius Dio are the prime sources for the Marcommanic Wars. The Commanding Generals are named and fans of 'Gladiator' will be disappointed. This is real history and a look into one of Rome's most popular Emperors. If you are a fan of 'Gladiator' then read this book and see how much more exciting reality is. The role Commodus played and the reasons Marcus made him Co-Emperor after Lucius Verus are explained very well. This book by far is one of the best Imperial Biographies I have read.
Rating:
Summary: The Life of One of History's Greatest Men
Review: Anthony Birley's biography of Marcus Aurelius manages to give the reader a good view of the life of an Emperor by pulling together the very few resources available. Marcus' early years and education are given in good detail including some letters between Marcus and his teachers. It is true that the chapters dealing with Marcus' personal life and family are not as 'exciting' as some might wish but they show a side to an Emperor rarely seen. The Parthian War, which was commanded by Co-Emperor Lucius Verus, is given a good overview. However, the Marcommanic Wars are covered in excellent detail. Anthony Birley reviews all the sources that are available and gives reasons for his conclusions. Coins, The Colume of marcus Aurelius and Cassius Dio are the prime sources for the Marcommanic Wars. The Commanding Generals are named and fans of 'Gladiator' will be disappointed. This is real history and a look into one of Rome's most popular Emperors. If you are a fan of 'Gladiator' then read this book and see how much more exciting reality is. The role Commodus played and the reasons Marcus made him Co-Emperor after Lucius Verus are explained very well. This book by far is one of the best Imperial Biographies I have read.
Rating: 
Summary: marcus barkus this book stinks
Review: Dry. Dull. Boring.Each page a torture to read.Abundent information to be sure but Mr. Birley managed to convert an interesting, amazing man of history in to the most lifeless read I've ever encountered. Skip this book and search for another volume...one with some life in it.....
Rating: 
Summary: Good, scholarly but not a "great read"
Review: I enjoyed Birley's biography of Marcus Aureliusm, because I was interested in the man. Even so, it is written as an academic treatment limiting the story to the primary sources, with constant quotes from them. This is certainly an accurate manner to depict biographical information, but not as compelling as say Robin Fox's treatment of Alexander the Great which is equally well-research and annotated but is also a great "read."
Rating:
Summary: A Magnificent Scholarly Work!
Review: In the wake of "Gladiator," it is perhaps a useful coincidence to have such a decent biography of the greatest of Roman emperors published. I should begin by pointing out that books of such scholarly value (I am reminded of "The Inner Citadel" by Pierre Hadot, a magnificent explanation of Aurelius' Meditations) are best reviewed by peers, and I cannot claim such qualifications. For what it's worth, I have long been fascinated by the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, and I found this biography to be immensely rewarding. Prospective buyers should be aware that this is a very deeply researched biography, and in no way should be confused with suitable reading material for those people who read "Chicken Soup for Idiots" or other books for children. It can be, at times, very heady reading. The book is rich with anecdotes of Marcus' family life. How interesting it seems, after viewing "Gladiator" (a film as contemptuous of history as "U-571") to hear that Marcus' son, Commodus, at the age of eleven, ordered a bathkeeper to be thrown into a furnace for letting the bathwater go lukewarm. A sheepskin was burned instead, to mask the deception, and yet the contrast between impetuous Commodus and the stern, reflective Marcus at age eleven, shows how the apple does not always fall close to the tree. [Incidentally, Commodus was strangled in his bath on New Years Eve and did not meet his end in the arena at the hands of Maximus.] Birley's work is at times awfully heavy reading for the layperson, but in the end proves a thoroughly enjoyable rendering. A triumph.
Rating:
Summary: The Man Who Held It All Together
Review: Marcus Aurelius (121-180 A.D.) inherited the principate from Antonius Pius, the fourth in a succession of emperors whose reigns were marked with peace, prosperity and internal stability. Marcus was unique in several respects. Not only was he groomed for the throne from an extremely early age, he was also schooled in Eastern philosphy (Stoicism) rather than the conventional military upbringing of most emperors hitherto. Ruling as the senior "co-emperor" with his adoptive brother Lucius, and later his ill-starred son, Commodus, he began his reign in classic 2nd Century style, as a benign despot, touring the provinces and engaging in continued correspondence with his favorite childhood tutor. But then it things went horribly, horribly wrong. The Northern Frontier, which Trajan and Hadrian had done so much to secure, suddenly collapsed, with hordes of German tribes ravaging the countryside. So did the currency, leading to massive debasements of the coinage. And then the worst of all evils arrived - bubonic plague decimating the population. Marcus had to draw on all of his strength of spirit and learning to hold it all together, and hold it he did, restoring the frontiers and defeating the barbarians. Despite his successor, idiot son Commodus, he helped win Rome another good fifty years. Birley's narrative is sharp and well-paced, and stunningly timely. Reading this at the same time as anthrax outbreak and modern barbarian invasion, I had a sick sense of deja vu.
Rating:
Summary: The Man Who Held It All Together
Review: Marcus Aurelius (121-180 A.D.) inherited the principate from Antonius Pius, the fourth in a succession of emperors whose reigns were marked with peace, prosperity and internal stability. Marcus was unique in several respects. Not only was he groomed for the throne from an extremely early age, he was also schooled in Eastern philosphy (Stoicism) rather than the conventional military upbringing of most emperors hitherto. Ruling as the senior "co-emperor" with his adoptive brother Lucius, and later his ill-starred son, Commodus, he began his reign in classic 2nd Century style, as a benign despot, touring the provinces and engaging in continued correspondence with his favorite childhood tutor. But then it things went horribly, horribly wrong. The Northern Frontier, which Trajan and Hadrian had done so much to secure, suddenly collapsed, with hordes of German tribes ravaging the countryside. So did the currency, leading to massive debasements of the coinage. And then the worst of all evils arrived - bubonic plague decimating the population. Marcus had to draw on all of his strength of spirit and learning to hold it all together, and hold it he did, restoring the frontiers and defeating the barbarians. Despite his successor, idiot son Commodus, he helped win Rome another good fifty years. Birley's narrative is sharp and well-paced, and stunningly timely. Reading this at the same time as anthrax outbreak and modern barbarian invasion, I had a sick sense of deja vu.
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