Stoicism counsels its adherents not to place too much importance on things outside their control. Emperor from 161 to 180, Marcus is remembered not merely for his long reign but for his practice of Stoicism-a school of philosophy founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium around 300 B.C. Though the story of Cassius’ betrayal is known mostly to Roman-history buffs, the figure of Marcus Aurelius will be familiar to a great many. As Donald Robertson writes, Marcus found himself “confronting one of the most serious crises of his reign.” Now the frail and aging emperor had to prepare for war. Marcus had recently been in poor health, and there were rumors-possibly spread by Cassius-that he was dead or dying. The news was not good: Marcus had been betrayed by the military commander Avidius Cassius, who had been hailed as emperor by the Egyptian legion in Alexandria. 175, a courier presented the emperor Marcus Aurelius with a letter from the Roman Senate.
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