Meet Marcus Aurelius - Roman emperor, philosopher king, conqueror of barbarians. And a bloke who was man enough to fill a pretty impressive pair of sandals.Archeologists yesterday said parts of a monumental statue found in the ruins of an ancient city are from a superblydetailed representation of one of Rome's greatest rulers.So far the statue's head, right arm and lower legs have been discovered,Tiffany on sale. Originally it was 15ft tall.Which explains those huge feet.The real Marcus was not quite that tall - but he was certainly a giant in historical terms.To most people,New Balance Shoes, he is known only as the wise old emperor played by Richard Harris in the movie Gladiator, who tries to persuade Russell Crowe' sheroic general Maximus to take over the running of Rome.To historians,New Balance Women, he is the last in a series of brilliant Roman rulers whose clever policies allowed the empire's citizens to enjoy peace and prosperity - and whose death in 180AD marked the beginning of a slide into anarchy and destruction.The statue fragments were unearthed in the ruins of Roman baths in what was once the city of Sagalossos, in the mountains of southern Turkey.First archeologists found a 5ft long arm last week with its hand holding a globe. Nearby were a pair of legs broken at the knee. The feet of the statue feature a pair of ornately carved army sandals.The statue was identified as Marcus because of his beard and bulging eyes gazing upwards.The emperor was famous in the Roman world for his philosophical writings - and in ancient sculpture a beard and eyes looking heavenwards were used as symbols to denote a famous thinker,Christian Louboutin Wedges.Professor Marc Waelkens, who heads the dig, said: "The pupils gaze upward as if in deep contemplation, fitting of an emperor who was more philosopher than soldier."The ruined city, destroyed by an earthquake between 540 and 620AD,www.salenewbalancesneakers.net, has already proved a historical treasure trove during 12 years of excavations.A year ago the same team found a huge statue of Marcus's predecessor, the emperor Hadrian.Weeks ago they found a large head and arm belonging to Faustina the Elder, wife of the emperor Antoninus Pius.The statues once lined a frigidarium - a cold bathing room used by citizens after they had soaked in hot water.It is believed that emperors of the Antonine dynasty, who ruled Rome from 138 to 193 AD, lined one side of the room and their wives the other.In the Oscar-winning Gladiator, an ailing Marcus is seen battling Germanic tribes along the empire's border in modern-day Austria. He is murdered by his crazed son Commodus, who grabs the throne and tries to kill rival Maximus.MARC FACTSMarcus Aurelius was emperor from 161 AD to his death in 180His reign was marked by wars in Asia and against Germanic tribes in Europe.Last of the ",Nike NFL Elite(Authentic);five good emperors", he was a major Stoic philosopherWritten on campaign, his work Meditations is revered as a monument to dutyCannibal killer Hannibal Lecter quotes Aurelius's words to agent Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs Related articles:

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