the epidemic had drastic social and political effects throughout the roman empire: barthold georg niebuhr (1776–1831) concluded that "as the reign of marcus aurelius forms a turning point in so many things, and above all in literature and art, i have no doubt that this crisis was brought about by that plague... the ancient world never recovered from the blow inflicted on it by the plague which visited it in the reign of marcus aurelius." during the marcomannic wars, marcus aurelius wrote his philosophical work 'meditations'. passage ix.2 states that even the pestilence around him is less deadly than falsehood, evil behavior, and lack of true understanding. as he lay dying, marcus uttered the words, "weep not for me; think rather of the pestilence and the deaths of so many others." edward gibbon (1737–1794) and michael rostovtzeff (1870–1952) assign the antonine plague less influence than contemporary political and economic trends, respectively.