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Meditations — Page 3

English → De Preface Level 9/10

Ceionius Commodus, whom Antoninus had adopted as a younger son at the same time with Marcus, giving him the name of Lucius Aurelius Verus.

Ceionius Commodus, den Antoninus gleichzeitig mit Marcus als jüngeren Sohn adoptiert hatte und dem er den Namen Lucius Aurelius Verus gab.

Henceforth the two are colleagues in the empire, the junior being trained as it were to succeed.

Von nun an waren die beiden Mitregenten im Reich, wobei der Jüngere gewissermaßen als Nachfolger herangebildet wurde.

No sooner was Marcus settled upon the throne than wars broke out on all sides.

Kaum hatte Marcus den Thron bestiegen, als von allen Seiten Kriege ausbrachen.

In the east, Vologeses III. of Parthia began a long-meditated revolt by destroying a whole Roman Legion and invading Syria (162).

Im Osten begann Vologeses III. von Parthien einen lang geplanten Aufstand, indem er eine ganze römische Legion vernichtete und in Syrien einfiel (162).

Verus was sent off in hot haste to quell this rising; and he fulfilled his trust by plunging into drunkenness and debauchery, while the war was left to his officers.

Verus wurde in großer Eile ausgesandt, um diesen Aufstand niederzuschlagen; und er erfüllte sein Vertrauen, indem er sich in Trunkenheit und Ausschweifung stürzte, während der Krieg seinen Offizieren überlassen wurde.

Soon after Marcus had to face a more serious danger at home in the coalition of several powerful tribes on the northern frontier.

Bald darauf musste Marcus einer ernsteren Gefahr im Inneren begegnen, nämlich dem Bündnis mehrerer mächtiger Stämme an der Nordgrenze.

Chief among those were the Marcomanni or Marchmen, the Quadi (mentioned in this book), the Sarmatians, the Catti, the Jazyges.

Die bedeutendsten unter ihnen waren die Markomannen oder Marchleute, die Quaden (in diesem Buch erwähnt), die Sarmaten, die Chatten und die Jazygen.

In Rome itself there was pestilence and starvation, the one brought from the east by Verus's legions, the other caused by floods which had destroyed vast quantities of grain.

In Rom selbst herrschten Pest und Hunger, erstere durch Verus' Legionen aus dem Osten eingeschleppt, letzterer durch Überschwemmungen verursacht, die gewaltige Mengen an Getreide vernichtet hatten.

After all had been done possible to allay famine and to supply pressing needs--Marcus being forced even to sell the imperial jewels to find money--both emperors set forth to a struggle which was to continue more or less during the rest of Marcus's reign.

Nachdem alles Mögliche getan worden war, um die Hungersnot zu lindern und dringende Bedürfnisse zu befriedigen – Marcus war sogar gezwungen, die kaiserlichen Juwelen zu verkaufen, um Geld aufzutreiben – zogen beide Kaiser in einen Kampf, der mehr oder weniger für den Rest von Marcus' Herrschaft andauern sollte.

During these wars, in 169, Verus died.

Während dieser Kriege starb Verus im Jahr 169.

Vocabulary

den
Definite article or pronoun in accusative case.
gleichzeitig
At the same time; simultaneously occurring together.
mit
Preposition meaning with or together alongside something.
als
Conjunction meaning as, when, or than.
jüngeren
Adjective meaning younger, referring to lesser age.
Sohn
Noun meaning son, a male child or offspring.
adoptiert
Past participle of adoptieren; legally taken as child.
hatte
Past tense of haben; had, possessed something previously.
und
Conjunction meaning and, linking words or clauses.
dem
Definite article in dative case, meaning the.
er
Third-person singular pronoun meaning he.
Namen
Noun meaning name or names, an identifying label.
gab
Past tense of geben; gave something to someone.
Von
Preposition meaning from, of, or by.
nun
Adverb meaning now or from this point forward.
an
Preposition meaning at, on, or to a place.
waren
Past tense plural of sein; were, existed previously.
die
Definite article or relative pronoun meaning the.
beiden
Pronoun or adjective meaning both of two things.
im
Contraction of in dem; in the place or time.
Reich
Noun meaning empire, realm, or kingdom governed centrally.
wobei
Conjunction meaning whereby or in doing so, connecting clauses.
der
Definite article in nominative masculine or genitive feminine.
Jüngere
Noun or adjective meaning the younger one of two.
gewissermaßen
Adverb meaning in a sense or to some extent.
Nachfolger
Noun meaning successor, one who follows in a position.
wurde
Past tense passive auxiliary meaning was or became.
Kaum
Adverb meaning hardly, scarcely, or barely.
Thron
Noun meaning throne, the seat of royal power.
bestiegen
Past participle of besteigen; ascended or mounted the throne.
von
Preposition meaning from, of, or by someone.
allen
Pronoun meaning all or every, dative plural form.
Seiten
Plural noun meaning sides, directions, or pages.
Kriege
Plural noun meaning wars or armed conflicts.
ausbrachen
Past tense of ausbrechen; broke out suddenly and violently.
Im
Contraction of in dem; in the, dative preposition.
Osten
Noun meaning east, the eastern direction or region.
begann
Past tense of beginnen; began or started something.
einen
Indefinite article accusative masculine meaning a or an.
lang
Adjective or adverb meaning long in time or space.
geplanten
Past participle adjective meaning planned or premeditated beforehand.
Aufstand
Noun meaning uprising, revolt, or rebellion against authority.
indem
Conjunction meaning by doing something or while doing.
eine
Indefinite article feminine nominative meaning a or an.
ganze
Adjective meaning whole, entire, or complete.
römische
Adjective meaning Roman, relating to ancient Rome.
Legion
Noun meaning legion, a large Roman military unit.
vernichtete
Past tense of vernichten; annihilated or destroyed completely.
in
Preposition meaning in, into, or within a place.
einfiel
Past tense of einfallen; invaded or fell into territory.
großer
Adjective meaning great or large, in dative/genitive context.
Eile
Noun meaning haste or hurry, urgency in acting.
ausgesandt
Past participle of aussenden; sent out on a mission.
um
Preposition meaning around, at, or in order to.
diesen
Demonstrative pronoun accusative masculine meaning this one.
niederzuschlagen
Infinitive meaning to suppress or put down a revolt.
erfüllte
Past tense of erfüllen; fulfilled or satisfied an expectation.
sein
Possessive pronoun meaning his or infinitive to be.
Vertrauen
Noun meaning trust or confidence placed in someone.
sich
Reflexive pronoun meaning himself, herself, or themselves.
Trunkenheit
Noun meaning drunkenness or intoxication from alcohol.
Ausschweifung
Noun meaning debauchery, excess, or licentious indulgence.
stürzte
Past tense of stürzen; plunged, fell, or threw himself.
während
Conjunction or preposition meaning while or during.
Krieg
Noun meaning war or armed conflict between parties.
seinen
Possessive pronoun accusative masculine meaning his.
Offizieren
Plural noun meaning officers in a military force.
überlassen
Past participle of überlassen; left to or entrusted others.
Bald
Adverb meaning soon or shortly afterward in time.
darauf
Adverb meaning thereupon, after that, or on it.
musste
Past tense of müssen; had to or was obliged.
einer
Indefinite article dative feminine meaning a or one.
ernsteren
Comparative adjective meaning more serious or graver.
Gefahr
Noun meaning danger, threat, or peril to safety.
Inneren
Noun meaning interior or inside, the inner territory.
begegnen
Verb meaning to encounter, meet, or face something.
nämlich
Adverb meaning namely, that is, or specifically.
Bündnis
Noun meaning alliance or coalition between parties.
mehrerer
Genitive plural pronoun meaning of several or multiple.
mächtiger
Adjective genitive plural meaning powerful or mighty tribes.
Stämme
Plural noun meaning tribes or ethnic groups.
Nordgrenze
Noun meaning northern border or frontier of territory.
Die
Definite article feminine nominative or plural meaning the.
bedeutendsten
Superlative adjective meaning most significant or important ones.
unter
Preposition meaning under, among, or beneath something.
ihnen
Personal pronoun dative plural meaning them.
oder
Conjunction meaning or, offering an alternative option.
diesem
Demonstrative pronoun dative masculine meaning this or this one.
Buch
Noun meaning book, a written or printed publication.
erwähnt
Past participle of erwähnen; mentioned or referred to briefly.
In
Preposition meaning in or within a place.
Rom
Proper noun meaning Rome, capital of the Roman Empire.
selbst
Pronoun or adverb meaning self, even, or itself.
herrschten
Past tense of herrschen; ruled or prevailed, dominated.
Pest
Noun meaning plague or pestilence, a deadly epidemic disease.
Hunger
Noun meaning hunger or famine, lack of food.
erstere
Pronoun meaning the former, the first of two mentioned.
durch
Preposition meaning through, by means of, or via.
Legionen
Plural noun meaning legions, large Roman military units.
aus
Preposition meaning out of, from, or made of.
eingeschleppt
Past participle meaning brought in or introduced from outside.
letzterer
Pronoun meaning the latter, the second of two mentioned.
Überschwemmungen
Plural noun meaning floods or inundations of land.
verursacht
Past participle of verursachen; caused or brought about something.
gewaltige
Adjective meaning enormous, tremendous, or immense in scale.
Mengen
Plural noun meaning quantities, amounts, or large quantities.
Getreide
Noun meaning grain or cereal crops used as food.
vernichtet
Past participle of vernichten; destroyed or wiped out completely.
hatten
Past tense plural of haben; had, possessed something.
Nachdem
Conjunction meaning after, once something had been done.
alles
Pronoun meaning everything or all that is possible.
Mögliche
Adjective noun meaning everything possible or all possible measures.
getan
Past participle of tun; done or performed an action.
worden
Past participle of werden used in passive construction.
war
Past tense singular of sein; was, existed in past.
Hungersnot
Noun meaning famine, a severe widespread shortage of food.
zu
Preposition or particle meaning to, too, or at.
lindern
Verb meaning to alleviate, relieve, or ease suffering.
dringende
Adjective meaning urgent, pressing, or immediately necessary.
Bedürfnisse
Plural noun meaning needs or necessities requiring satisfaction.
befriedigen
Verb meaning to satisfy, fulfill, or meet a need.
sogar
Adverb meaning even, emphasizing something surprising or extreme.
gezwungen
Past participle of zwingen; forced or compelled to act.
kaiserlichen
Adjective meaning imperial, belonging to the emperor.
Juwelen
Plural noun meaning jewels or precious gems of value.
verkaufen
Verb meaning to sell something for money or exchange.
Geld
Noun meaning money, currency used for buying goods.
aufzutreiben
Infinitive meaning to raise or procure money or resources.
zogen
Past tense of ziehen; moved, marched, or went somewhere.
beide
Pronoun or adjective meaning both of two people.
Kaiser
Noun meaning emperor, the ruler of the Roman Empire.
Kampf
Noun meaning battle, fight, or struggle against opposition.
mehr
Adverb or adjective meaning more or greater in degree.
weniger
Adverb or adjective meaning less or fewer in amount.
für
Preposition meaning for, in favor of, or on behalf.
Rest
Noun meaning rest, remainder, or what is left over.
Herrschaft
Noun meaning reign, rule, or dominion over territory.
andauern
Verb meaning to continue, persist, or last over time.
sollte
Past subjunctive of sollen; was supposed to or should.
Während
Conjunction or preposition meaning while or during a period.
dieser
Demonstrative pronoun meaning this or this one, masculine.
starb
Past tense of sterben; died or passed away.
Jahr
Noun meaning year, a period of twelve months.
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