Antoninus Pius is known as one of the “Five Good Emperors”. Professor & Head of the Department of History at Penn State University, Dr. Michael Kulikowski, is back on the show to discuss what’s known about his life.
Professor Kulikowski previously appeared on the Ithaca Bound podcast to discuss the life of Antoninus Pius’ predecessor, Hadrian, in an episode entitled: Roman Emperor Hadrian w. Dr. Michael Kulikowski (April 3, 2021).
Some topics explored
- When and where he was born
- Where he was raised
- What’s known about his family
- Deconstructing his imperial name: Caesar Titus Aelius Hadrianus Antoninus Augustus Pius
- His term as Consul in the year 120.
- His term as Pro Consul in Asia Minor
- His adoption of Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus, as arranged by Hadrian
- The later period of his life
- The amount of literature on his life that survives
- Why he is known as one of the “Five Good Emperors”
- The later period of his life including his death
- To what degree Rome changed if anything under his rule
Listen to the episode
The episode is available on major podcast apps: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
Show Notes
- Dr. Kulikowski is the author of the books The Triumph of Empire: The Roman World from Hadrian to Constantine (Harvard University Press) and The Tragedy of Empire: From Constantine to the Destruction of Roman Italy (Harvard University Press)
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