Marcus Aurelius, the gentle philosopher who lived through the inconceivable, heart-wrenching loss of ten children. Heir to Antoninus Pius against his will, he became emperor of 1/3 of the known world just as the Pax Romana began to fracture. True to his stoic core, Marcus set aside personal wants and rose to the occasion, transforming himself from the first philosopher-emperor into the first warrior-emperor who spend his final 10 years camped on the Danube, fighting the barbarian wave that would eventually overwhelm the West.

Hadrian the Builder! Third of the Five Good Emperors, and as unknowable as the sphinx. He took over control of the Roman Empire from Trajan at its greatest territorial extent, inheriting a crazy Frankenstein of a territory that no one since Augustus had really focused on managing well, his predecessors had wanted to milk it or expand it, but Hadrian wanted to optimize it. A remarkable ambition, a mysterious man, and a legacy worthy of remembrance, and debate. But does he qualify as a Roman hero?

Trajan. Why do we feel so conflicted when we think about you? Well, Trajan was one of the Five Good Emperors, rising to power at a moment when Rome was the bully in the schoolyard and he knew how to wield that power brilliantly, Octavian-like, in a manner that did not threaten the Senate. Golden boy, Pompey-ish. Forever more, new emperors would be blessed in his name upon their ascension. The Roman Empire would reach its greatest territorial extent thanks to his efforts. But is he a hero??? Can we say no???