Latest / Marcus Aurelius: Rome's Philosopher King — Fexingo History / The Philosopher King and the Parthian War
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Marcus on the Danube, the Marcomannic Wars, the plague — but one war he fought that often gets overshadowed is the Parthian War. It actually started right when he became emperor, in 161 AD. Luna: Right, because he inherited that from Antoninus Pius, didn't he? Lucas: Exactly. Pius had kept the peace, but the Parthian king Vologases IV saw the transition as an opportunity. He invaded Armenia, which was a Roman client kingdom, and installed his own candidate on the throne. Marcus had to respond. Luna: And he sent Lucius Verus, his co-emperor, to handle it. Lucas: That's right. Marcus had insisted on sharing power with Lucius Verus when he became emperor — it was the first time Rome had two emperors with equal authority, at least on paper. And for the Parthian campaign, Marcus stayed in Rome while Lucius went east. Some historians say Marcus didn't want to leave the capital, or that he was letting Lucius have his moment. But it was a huge risk, sending your co-emperor away with a massive army. Luna: Did Lucius actually command the army, or was it more symbolic? Lucas: That's a great question. Lucius was the figurehead, but the real military command fell to his legates — especially Avidius Cassius, who was a seasoned general. Lucius spent most of his time in Antioch, living it up, supposedly. Cassius Dio and the Historia Augusta paint a picture of him indulging in games and parties while his generals did the fighting. But to be fair, the logistics of a Parthian campaign were enormous, and having an emperor in the region helped coordinate supplies and diplomacy. Luna: So what actually happened on the battlefield? Lucas: The Romans pushed into Armenia first, defeated the Parthian forces there, and then invaded Mesopotamia. The big prize was the Parthian capital, Ctesiphon, which they captured in 165 AD. The Romans also sacked Seleucia on the Tigris, a major Hellenistic city. But that sack had a terrible consequence — it's often linked to the start of the Antonine Plague. The theory is that Roman soldiers brought back a disease from Seleucia, possibly smallpox or measles, which then spread across the empire for years. Luna: So the victory itself sowed the seeds of disaster. Lucas: Exactly. The war was a success on paper — Rome gained territory, installed a friendly king in Armenia, and looted Ctesiphon. But the cost was immense. The plague decimated the army and the population, which directly contributed to the crises Marcus faced later on the Danube. And the war also created a hero in Avidius Cassius, who would later rebel against Marcus. Luna: I remember you mentioned that rebellion in an earlier episode — the one where Marcus's wife Faustina was implicated. Lucas: Right, that's episode 86. Avidius Cassius declared himself emperor in 175 AD while Marcus was fighting on the Danube. The rebellion fizzled out quickly, but it shows how the Parthian War raised Cassius's profile. He was a capable general, but also ambitious. Marcus handled it with characteristic restraint — he didn't even order a harsh purge after Cassius was killed by his own soldiers. Luna: I think that restraint is what makes Marcus so fascinating — even in war, he tried to live up to his Stoic ideals. Lucas: Absolutely. In his Meditations, he writes constantly about not being corrupted by power, about seeing things as they are. He knew that war was sometimes necessary, but he never glorified it. The Parthian War is a good example — it was a brutal, costly conflict, and Marcus didn't celebrate it with big triumphal arches the way Trajan did. Instead, he and Lucius shared a triumph in 166 AD, but it was subdued because of the plague. Luna: If today was actually useful to you, the way these stay ad-free is listener support — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. Lucas: Yeah, it really does make a difference. We love digging into these stories, and knowing people appreciate it keeps us going. Luna: And it means no ads, so we can go as deep as we want. Lucas: So back to the war — one detail I love is that Lucius Verus brought back a statue of Apollo from Seleucia, which he dedicated in Rome. It's a small symbol of how the east influenced Rome, even in victory. But the bigger legacy was the plague and the strain on the empire's resources. Luna: Did Marcus ever write about the war in his Meditations? Lucas: Not directly. The Meditations are more about his inner life, not current events. But you can see the pressure in some passages. For example, he writes about how external things don't disturb the soul, only our judgments about them. That's easy to say when you're in a palace, but harder when you're dealing with a plague and a war on two fronts. Luna: He was really tested. Lucas: Without a doubt. The Parthian War wasn't just a foreign conflict — it reshaped the empire. It drained the treasury, spread disease, and set the stage for the Marcomannic Wars. And it showed that even a philosopher-king couldn't escape the brutal logic of empire. You have to defend your borders, but every war has consequences you can't foresee. Luna: So in a way, the Parthian War is the hidden catalyst for everything that came after. Lucas: Exactly. And that's why it's worth understanding. It's not just a side note — it's the event that weakened Rome just when it needed to be strong. Next time, we might talk about how the plague specifically affected the army, or we could jump to the revolt of Cassius. But for now, I think we've covered the war itself. Luna: Sounds good. Thanks, Lucas.