Latest / Marcus Aurelius: Rome's Philosopher King — Fexingo History / Marcus Aurelius and the Stoic Emperor's Diet
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- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Marcus Aurelius as a ruler, a general, a philosopher — but I want to get into something more personal today. What did the guy actually eat? Luna: Oh, I love that. Was he dining on peacock tongues like some emperors? Lucas: Not at all. In fact, Marcus seems to have had a remarkably simple diet. In his own letters to Fronto, he mentions meals of bread, figs, and vegetables. He even apologizes for being a bit dull at dinner parties because he doesn't care for elaborate dishes. Luna: That fits the Stoic image — self-discipline over indulgence. Lucas: Exactly. And it's not just his philosophy; his health might have played a role. He suffered from chronic stomach issues — Galen, his personal physician, mentions that Marcus often had trouble digesting rich foods. So a light diet was both a virtue and a necessity. Luna: Wait, Galen was his doctor? I thought Galen was a bit later. Lucas: Galen served under Marcus, yes. He was the court physician in the 170s and wrote extensively about the emperor's ailments. He prescribed a diet of bread, wine diluted with water, and simple meats like chicken. No exotic spices or heavy sauces. Lucas: And this was during the Antonine Plague, remember. Food supplies were strained, and Marcus was known to share his own provisions with the poor during famines. So his table wasn't just simple by choice — it reflected the times. Luna: Did he ever write about food in the Meditations? Lucas: He does, indirectly. In Book 6, he talks about how we should see food for what it really is: 'the death of a fish, the carcass of a bird, the flesh of a pig.' He's using that Stoic technique of stripping away romanticized views to see the reality. Luna: That's kind of brutal but also very Marcus. Lucas: Right? He's not saying don't eat. He's saying don't get attached to the pleasure. Eat to live, don't live to eat. And that's very much in line with the Stoic emphasis on moderation and reason over appetite. Luna: So no elaborate banquets for him. But what would a typical meal have looked like? Lucas: Breakfast would be bread dipped in wine or water, maybe with some cheese. Lunch was light — leftovers or a simple salad. Dinner was the main meal, but for Marcus it might be a bowl of lentils, some vegetables, and perhaps a bit of fish or chicken. He avoided heavy meats like pork or beef. Lucas: And wine — he drank it diluted, as was common. The Romans thought drinking undiluted wine was barbaric. He would have had a mix of about one part wine to three parts water. Luna: That sounds almost modern — like a Mediterranean diet. Lucas: In many ways, it was. The Romans had access to olives, olive oil, grapes, figs, dates, nuts, and a variety of vegetables. But the really extravagant stuff — like flamingo tongues or dormice stuffed with pork — that was for the likes of Vitellius or Elagabalus, not a Stoic emperor. Luna: I've heard Elagabalus ate nothing but jellyfish and ostrich brains. Is that true? Lucas: The Historia Augusta claims all sorts of excesses, but it's an unreliable source. Still, the contrast with Marcus is clear. Marcus's simplicity was so well-known that when he died, people remembered him as the emperor who ate barley bread with the soldiers. Luna: Barley bread — that's what the gladiators ate, right? Called 'hordearii'? Lucas: Exactly. Barley was considered a lower grain, for animals and slaves — but Marcus shared it with his troops during the Marcomannic Wars. That kind of solidarity earned him genuine respect. Lucas: Speaking of respect, you know, we've been going through these episodes without any ads or sponsors. That's a choice we've made deliberately. If you appreciate hearing about history without someone trying to sell you something, you can support the show at buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Luna: Yeah, it keeps the conversation clean. And we're grateful for anyone who helps keep it that way. Lucas: So, back to food. One of the most interesting sources is a letter from Fronto where he scolds Marcus for not eating properly during a military campaign. Fronto says, 'You're so focused on duty that you forget to nourish yourself.' Luna: Fronto really was like a father figure to him, wasn't he? Lucas: Absolutely. And Marcus's replies show a man who genuinely didn't care about culinary pleasures. In one letter, he says, 'The bread here is coarse, but I eat it without complaint.' He was applying Stoic endurance to everything, including his palate. Lucas: There's also the question of how the Antonine Plague affected the food supply. The plague killed millions, including farmers, which led to shortages and higher prices. Marcus responded by importing grain from Egypt and regulating prices — but he also personally reduced his own consumption. Luna: So his diet wasn't just philosophical; it was political. He led by example. Lucas: Exactly. And that's a theme that runs through his reign. He wasn't just writing about virtue; he was living it, down to the last crust of bread. Luna: I wonder what he'd think of our modern obsession with dieting. Lucas: He'd probably say it's another form of attachment. The goal isn't to eat a certain way to be healthy or look good — it's to eat in a way that doesn't distract you from living virtuously. For him, food was fuel, not a source of identity. Luna: That's a pretty radical idea even today. Lucas: It is. And it's one reason Marcus Aurelius still speaks to us across the centuries. His diet is a small window into how he tried to align every aspect of his life with his principles.