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Thursday, June 10, 2021

Italy: Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius

On 21st May I got a postcard from Italy.

It shows the Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius in Rome. Marcus Aurelius was Roman Emperor from 161 to 180. His reign was marked by military conflicts, the Antonine Plague and increasing persecution of Christians, but nonetheless he is remembered is one of the Five Good Emperors and last emperor of the Pax Romana. Also he is known as philosopher. His "Meditations" are still widely read as source for Stoic philosophy and as guide to self-improvement. The bronze statue was erected around 175. Many bronze statues of Roman Emperor were later melt down to reuse the material, but this one survived due to an mis-identification as Constantine the Great. Its original location is unknown. In the 16th century however it was moved to the Capitoline Hill during Michelangelo's redesign of the area. Today only a copy stands on the square, as the original one was moved to the Capitoline Museums in 1981. The statue however can also be seen in wallets around Europa. It is shown on the Italian 50 Cent coin.

One of the most famous modern Italian stamps was used on this card: the Nutella stamp (issued 14-05-2014). The other stamp is another one from the tourism series. This one in particular is from a set of four and shows the Isole Tremiti (issued 04-06-2010).


Thank You very much Marco!

Marco also has a postcard blog, which you can see here: NINU POSTCARDS.

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