As Marcus Aurelius finally passes from the scene, his son, Commodus, takes over as Roman Emperor. Surely, the son of the Philosopher King will share his fathers stability, sobriety, and dedication... right?

This decade we see a revolving door of advisors rise and fall as Commodus dallies. The senate is continually unhappy but remains impotent. Anxiety rises across the empire as inflation, military desertions, and dissatisfaction spread.

Marcus Aurelius transforms himself from a bookish philosopher to a master of war as he holds back the onslaught of the Marcommanic coalition. For the first time in centuries, Italy is threatened. Barbarians raid within a dozen miles of Rome. Slowly and painfully, Marcus and his army drive back the invaders.

Just as he seems to be achieving a final peace, a betrayal in the east of the empire draws his attention away.

1. Roman Rain (02:20)

2. Cassius (23:01)

3. Miscellaneous Meditations (38:25) [Exclusive to Patreon]

4. Marcommania (42:45)

The Pax Romana fractured during the reign of Marcus Aurelius under the pressure of war, plague, and invasion.

Part 1: Shared Duties (02:13)

Part 2: War (09:23)

Part 3: Plague (31:17)

Part 4: Invasion (46:41)

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Did anything happen during the 150’s? Almost certainly! But the Roman Peace was at its height and the empire was quiet, peaceful, prosperous. Here’s what did happen: a few troubles drew military attention. Antoninus passed legal reforms. Marcus Aurelius waited almost too patiently for his turn to be come Emperor.

This peace allows us to pause and take a survey of literary works of the age. And, while the Christians were still relatively few in number, they have begun to step out of the shadows into the light of the historical record.

Part 1: Setting and Background (01:47)

Part 2: Main Characters (09:44)

Part 3: Novel Works (22:30)

Part 4: The Christians and the Sun (31:12)

Hadrian chose Antoninus as his successor to be a stable bridge before Marcus Aurelius came of age. But Antoninus lived and reigned far longer than anyone expected. For the people of Rome, that was a good thing. His steadiness, his justice, and his fiscal aptitude ensured Italy and the provinces flourished. The Pax Romana reached its golden heights during the reign of Antoninus Pius.

Part 1: Pius (02:14)

Part 2: The Antonine Wall (11:37)

Part 3: Ripples on a Still Pond (16:05)

Part 4: Conservation (23:31)

In the 130's, Hadrian's reign turned from vision to pain. He suffered the loss of two things he held dear: in Egypt, his lover and in Judea, his idealism. His final days were marked by gloom and suffering as he attempted to preserve his legacy for the next generation.

We follow Hadrian as he tours the provinces, visiting more of the empire than any emperor before him.

As he went from place to place, he inspected the defenses, drilled the legions, and granted gifts to the cities. The central theme of his journeys was a new vision for the Empire. Hadrian saw Rome not as a collection of conquered provinces ruled by the Romans, but as an assembly of peoples and provinces, united by a shared culture in a Roman Commonwealth.

Rome reaches its greatest territorial heights as Emperor Trajan does his best Alexander the Great impression.

His conquests took him through Armenia and into Parthia - spurred on by a Parthian civil war. The western half of Parthia including Babylon, Ctesiphon, and all of Mesopotamia were captured. Then, revolts ripped across Cyrenaica, Egypt, Cyprus, and Mesopotamia, tearing all of Trajan's conquests out of his hands

Trajan begins his reign in earnest and shows everyone why he deserved the title Optimus Princeps.

Part 1: Unbowed, Unbroken (04:13)

Part 2: Dacia, Round 2 (16:34)

Part 3: Arabia Petraea (29:18)

Part 4: Trajan in Rome (33:31)

Part 5: Sources, Columns (42:02)