Ashoka the Great vs Marcus Aurelius
How do Ashoka the Great and Marcus Aurelius compare? Here is a side-by-side look at their lives, achievements and historical impact.
| Ashoka the Great | Marcus Aurelius | |
|---|---|---|
| Lifespan | 304 BC – 232 BC | 121 – 180 |
| Born | Pataliputra, Maurya Empire (modern Patna, India) | Rome, Italy |
| Occupation | Emperor, Ruler | Emperor, Ruler, Philosopher |
| Known for | Spreading Buddhism, The Edicts of Ashoka, Renouncing war after Kalinga, Rule by dharma | The Meditations, Stoic philosophy, The last Good Emperor, Philosopher-king |
| Fields | — | Ethics |
| Influence score | 90/100 | 90/100 |
Ashoka the Great
Ashoka was the third emperor of the Maurya Empire who, after a devastating war, embraced Buddhism and non-violence, becoming one of history's most remarkable rulers.
Full biography →Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher, the last of the "Five Good Emperors", whose private journal, the Meditations, is the most cherished work of Stoic thought.
Full biography →You Might Also Compare
Siddhartha Gautama
97Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, was a spiritual teacher of ancient India whose insights into suffering and liberation founded Buddhism, now one of the world's major religions.
Why The Buddha's teachings transformed Ashoka after the horrors of war.
Chandragupta Maurya
85Chandragupta Maurya was the founder of the Maurya Empire, who united most of the Indian subcontinent for the first time and established one of the ancient world's great states.
Why His grandfather and the founder of the Maurya Empire he inherited.
Alexander the Great
96Alexander the Great was the king of Macedon who built one of the largest empires in history by his early thirties, spreading Greek culture across three continents.
Why Alexander's invasion of India shortly preceded the rise of the Maurya Empire Ashoka would rule.
Augustus
94Augustus was the first Roman emperor, the heir of Julius Caesar who ended a century of civil war, established the Roman Empire, and inaugurated the Pax Romana.
Why Also a emperor & ruler · Comparable historical impact
Zeno of Citium
86Zeno of Citium was an ancient Greek philosopher who founded Stoicism, teaching that virtue and reason are the path to a good life, in lectures given at the Painted Porch (Stoa) in Athens.
Why The founder of the Stoic philosophy that Marcus Aurelius practiced and recorded.
Augustus
94Augustus was the first Roman emperor, the heir of Julius Caesar who ended a century of civil war, established the Roman Empire, and inaugurated the Pax Romana.
Why The founder of the Roman Empire that Marcus Aurelius would rule at its height.