'Antoninus Pius 'Titus Aurelius Fulvus Boionus Arrius Antoninus(AD 86 - AD 161) 'Remember his qualities, so that when your last hour comes your conscience may be as clear as his.‘ -- Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Pius never left Italy during the twenty-three years of his rule. He was much less involved with the military than were his predecessors and successors. Yet he maintained the appearance of military preparedness and encouraged good officers. Although Antoninus may seem the most unmemorable of emperors, the sheer uneventfulness of his rule reflects both the accomplishments of the preceding half-century and his own capability. Antoninus’ time seems to mark the empire’s climax as an organized, benevolent, and self-assured form of rule. He did …show more content…
In his lifetime Antoninus fully justified the honorific surname of Pius, bestowed on him by the senate: his death, unlike that of most other emperors, was appropriately calm and dignified. The temple of Faustina was built by emperor Antoninus Pius in honour to his late wife Faustina in AD 141. Emperor Antoninus deified his wife and had this temple built in order to honor her. When he died, the Roman Senate dedicated the Temple to the both of them and it became known as Temple of Antoninus and Faustina Historians consider The Temple of Divus Antoninus Pius and Diva Faustina to be one of Antoninus Pius greatest creations. It is the best preserved building in the Roman Forum. It is located east of the Basilica Emilia, facing the Via Sacra. It was built by Antoninus Pius when his wife Faustina died in 141 AD. The dedicatory inscription was made in two steps. The first inscription is the second line: "Divae Faustinae Ex S.C." (To the divine Faustina by decree of the senate), made when the temple was built. The upper line was added later, after the death of Antoninus Pius, by chiseling away a part of the frieze and adding the words: "Divi Antonino et" (To the divine Antoninus and), thus completing the