THE COINAGE OF MARCUS AURELIUS

OF ALL THE ROMAN EMPERORS, Marcus Aurelius comes down to us across the centuries as perhaps the most likable, because we hear him in his own voice: sensible, dutiful and patient. His book, known to us as The Meditations, survived because it was copied and recopied in medieval monasteries. Marcus wrote in koine, the common Greek used in The New Testament. The Church came to view his pagan Stoic philosophy as, well... not incompatible with Christianity.

His coinage extends over four decades (139 – 180 CE) and it also survives in abundance. On it, we see his progress from adolescence to manhood, prematurely aged by hard campaigning and the cares of ruling an Empire in crisis.

Marcus as Caesar
Marcus Aurelius was born in Rome on 26 April 121 CE to an elite family; both his grandfathers served as Consul, an office that still held immense prestige, though little real power. As a child, Marcus attracted the attention of Emperor Hadrian, who groomed him as a potential successor. After Hadrian died (138 CE), the emperor Antoninus Pius adopted Marcus as his heir, along with another young aristocrat, Lucius Verus.

This can be confusing, because each adoption involved a name change. Sometimes it seems as though elite Romans changed their names as often as they changed their togas. Born “Marcus Annius Verus”, he became “Marcus Aelius Aurelius Verus” upon adoption, then “Aurelius Caesar” in 139, and finally “Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus” when he became emperor.

On a gold aureus, the beardless image of young Marcus appears on the reverse, accompanying the senior emperor on the obverse. On a silver denarius, young Marcus appears by himself, with the implements of the high priesthood that was part of his duties. A bronze sestertius of Marcus as Caesar bears a reverse depicting the goddess Minerva with spear and shield.

To read the complete article, see:
Philosopher King: The Coinage of Marcus Aurelius (www.coinweek.com/ancient-coins/philosopher-king-the-coinage-of-marcus-aurelius/)

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