ABSTRACT
The Roman Empire was a startling achievement, partly because of its size. It was enormous, extending from the Atlantic to the Euphrates and from the Rhine and Danube to the Sahara. In the development of that empire the Antonines played a crucial part. By the Antonines the author mean three successive emperors of the second century ad, Antoninus Pius, Marcus Aurelius; and Commodus. Marcus Aurelius has often been blamed for abandoning the theory that the empire ought to go to the best man, by 'adoption', seeing that he instead nominated his own son Commodus as his successor: and Commodus proved a disaster. That Commodus turned out to be so disastrous, and effectively put an end to the blessings of the Antonine monarchy, can scarcely be contradicted. The first is Germany. The third attempt was launched by Marcus Aurelius, who intended to occupy Germany from the south, by way of the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
