Marcus Aurelius and the Stoic's Desert Column

Marcus Aurelius: Rome's Philosopher King — Fexingo History · Jul 4, 2026 · 6m · transcript

In 165 CE, a legion from the Rhine frontier marched three thousand miles into the Syrian desert to besiege a city that had never fallen to Rome. This is the story of the forgotten Mesopotamian campaign of Lucius Verus — the Parthian war that Marcus Aurelius never wanted, fought by his co-emperor while he held the Danube. Lucas and Luna piece together what we know about Legio III Gallica and its unsung march across the Euphrates, the siege of Ctesiphon, and the plague that came home with the victors. They explore what the Meditations reveal about Marcus's view of this aggressive war, the…