ABSTRACT
One of the most striking features of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations is that it is, in effect, a personal notebook that does not ever appear to have been intended to be read by anyone other than its author. It is a historical accident that the manuscript was preserved and passed on by someone in the imperial entourage, and was eventually rediscovered and published though it is mentioned in texts from 364 c.e. and the ninth century. The immediate biographical conditions in which Meditations were written gives its reader the unusual sense of getting to know the inner thoughts of an ancient historical figure who held a remarkable degree of power/influence. It is clear that Marcus shapes Meditations around some of the teachings Epictetus recommends to those wishing to pursue a philosophical way of life. The ideas of Heraclitus, one of the most important pre-Socratic philosophers, play a crucial role in the way Marcus formulates several of his positions in Meditations.
