Latest / Marcus Aurelius: Rome's Philosopher King — Fexingo History / The Parthian War of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus
Transcript
- Lucas: Luna, we've talked a lot about Marcus Aurelius' wars on the Danube, but there's another war that shaped his reign right at the start — the war with Parthia over Armenia. Luna: Oh, the one that brought back the plague? Lucas: Exactly. In 161 AD, just as Marcus became emperor, the Parthian king Vologases IV invaded Armenia, and Rome had to respond. Now, this is a good moment to mention something — the reason we can dive into these details is thanks to a handful of listeners who support the show through buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It keeps us ad-free and focused on the history, and it's honestly what makes this many episodes possible. Luna: Absolutely, that support really lets us spend time on the sources. Lucas: So back to the war. Marcus had just ascended after Antoninus Pius's death, and he was dealing with floods, famine, and the Parthian threat. He sent his co-emperor Lucius Verus east with a massive army. Luna: Lucius Verus was more the military commander, right? Marcus stayed in Rome? Lucas: Right. Marcus held down the capital while Lucius led the campaign. It was a clever division of labor — Lucius was experienced in the east, and Marcus could manage the bureaucracy and the grain supply. But it wasn't entirely hands-off; Marcus wrote letters to Lucius full of advice and philosophical reflections. Lucas: The campaign unfolded in stages. First, they repelled the Parthians from Armenia, then pushed into Mesopotamia. By 165 AD, the Roman army under Avidius Cassius — a talented general — had sacked the twin cities of Seleucia and Ctesiphon, the Parthian capital. Luna: Seleucia and Ctesiphon — that's a huge victory. What happened next? Lucas: Well, the victory was short-lived. On the march back, the soldiers brought with them a disease that we now call the Antonine Plague — likely smallpox. It spread like wildfire through the legions and then across the empire, killing millions and crippling Rome for decades. Lucas: Marcus and Lucius celebrated a triumph in Rome in 166 AD, but the plague was already ravaging the city. Many historians think the plague directly led to the manpower shortages that plagued the later Marcomannic Wars. Luna: So the Parthian victory actually set the stage for the crisis on the Danube. Lucas: Exactly. It's a classic example of unintended consequences. The war also elevated Avidius Cassius, who later rebelled against Marcus — and we talked about that in another episode. But in the moment, he was the hero of the hour. Lucas: Let's look at the diplomatic side. Rome demanded Parthia stay out of Armenia, and for a while, it worked. But the heavy indemnities and the destruction of Ctesiphon humiliated the Parthians, sowing seeds for future conflicts. Luna: And what was Marcus thinking during all this? He was writing the Meditations around then, right? Lucas: Partly. Book 1 of the Meditations, where he thanks his predecessors, was likely written earlier, but during the war he was composing reflections on duty, mortality, and the futility of ambition — themes that resonate with the chaos around him. Lucas: Interestingly, the war also demonstrated the limits of Roman power. Despite the victory, they couldn't hold Mesopotamia permanently. Marcus and Lucius chose to withdraw to defensible borders along the Euphrates. Luna: That sounds like a smart strategic choice, not overextending. Lucas: It was. But it also meant the Parthian threat wasn't eliminated; it was just delayed. Meanwhile, the plague kept killing. Marcus lost his co-emperor Lucius Verus in 169 AD — possibly to the plague — and then faced the Marcomanni alone. Lucas: So when you think of Marcus Aurelius, don't just picture him on the Danube. Picture him in 166 AD, presiding over a triumph while his soldiers die of disease, and knowing the worst was yet to come. Luna: That's a powerful image. It really shows how his Stoicism was tested in practice. Lucas: Exactly. The Parthian war was his first real test as emperor, and the way he handled it — delegating to Lucius, staying calm, planning for the long term — set the tone for his whole reign. It's a story of a philosopher king wrestling with realpolitik. Lucas: And it's a reminder that history's turning points often come from unexpected places — like a war far from the capital that brings back a silent killer. Luna: Thanks for digging into this. I feel like I understand the early reign much better now. Lucas: Glad to help. And if you want to go deeper, there's always the Meditations — Book 2, for instance, is thought to be written around the time of the war, and you can feel the urgency in it.