What we do in life echoes in eternity Every hour make up thy mind sturdily as a Roman and a man to do what thou hast in hand with scrupulous and unaffected dignity and love of thy kind and independence and justice; and to give thyself rest from all other impressions. - Meditations II, 5Maximus Decimus MeridiusWas born in the province of Baetica in Hispania in AD 152. He was the son of Meridius, the governor of the province, and of Lucretia, the daughter of the Roman Senator Bodaus.He was sent to school at the age of eight to Hispalis, and studied under the tutelage of Fulvus, the stoic philospher. He joined the army at 17 as a Standard Bearer.He fought in campaigns against the Celts in Britannia and against the Parthians in Cappadocia. Honored for his bravery under the fire of battle, he moved up through the ranks as optio, centurion, and then as primus pilus of the First Cohort under General Lucius Veras.Earlier, in AD 171, while visiting the villa of Sergius Manus, a wealthy landowner in the Spanish province of Gemina, he fell in love with Sergius's daughter Cecilia.Maximus and Cecilia married, and had a son named Decimus after his grandfather. They settled on a working farm in the hills of Fulginia, several day's ride from Rome. The farm sat on a hillside, and giant poplars lined its entry road. Although he wasn't able to see his family near as often as he like he wrote to them and said prayers for them on a constant basis.Marcus Aurelius, a friend of Maximus's father and father-in-law, appointed him Legate of the Emperor's Legion in AD 176. He was the youngest general so appointed in Roman history.He led the army against the Veture in Gaul and the Marcomanni in Germania. He was away for four years until the final victory against the barbarians near the river Danube.In Germania, behind closed doors, Marcus Aurelius asked Maximus to be Caeser after his death. He died before he could tell anyone other than Maximus or Commodus about the new heir. Commodus, upon learning that he would not be Caeser, smothered his own father.After Marcus Aurelius' death in the camp, Maximus was arrested by the guards of the 'new Caeser' Commodus. Suspecting that Commodus was the one who committed the murder, the general had refused to give allegiance to the new Caeser. As he was about to be executed, Maximus overwhelmed his guards and escaped.In his so-called 'vengence' efforts Commodus had the general's family and retainers brutally murdered.Maximus returned home after much travel and found his loved ones hung. He fainted from exaustion, sorrow and his wounds, and was captured by marauding thieves while asleep.He was sold to the old gladiator Proximo taking the name of The Spainiard. Vowing revenge against Commodus, he fought in many battles in stadiums all over the Roman world -- his fame gaining all the while -- finally coming to the Coliseum in Rome in AD 187.He died in the Coliseum in AD 187 at age 40, after defeating and killing Commodus in a battle in the arena. (He had been secretly stabbed by Commodus beforehand while still tied as a prisoner.) The Roman mob cheered his victory and hailed him as a hero. His dying wish to return Rome to a democracy was honored.