Editing Antoninus Pius (section)

==Emperor==
[[File:Roman Empire in 150 AD.png|thumb|The Roman Empire during the reign of Antoninus Pius]]
On his accession, Antoninus's name and style became ''[[Imperator]] [[Caesar (title)|Caesar]] Titus Aelius [[Hadrian]]us Antoninus [[Augustus (honorific)|Augustus]]''. One of his first acts as emperor was to persuade the [[Roman Senate|Senate]] to grant divine honours to Hadrian, which they had at first refused;{{sfn|Bowman|2000|p=151}} his efforts to persuade the Senate to grant these honours is the most likely reason given for his title of ''Pius'' (dutiful in affection; compare ''[[pietas]]'').{{sfn|Birley|2000|p=55}} Two other reasons for this title are that he would support his aged father-in-law with his hand at Senate meetings and that he had saved those men that Hadrian, during his period of ill health, had condemned to death.{{sfn|Bury|1893|p=523}}

Immediately after Hadrian's death, Antoninus approached Marcus and requested that his marriage arrangements be amended: Marcus's betrothal to Ceionia Fabia would be annulled, and he would be betrothed to Faustina, Antoninus's daughter instead. Faustina's betrothal to Ceionia's brother [[Lucius Verus|Lucius Commodus]], Marcus's future co-emperor, would also have to be annulled. Marcus consented to Antoninus's proposal.<ref>''HA Marcus'' 6.2; ''Verus'' 2.3–4</ref>{{sfn|Birley|2000|pp=53–54}}

Antoninus built temples, theaters, and mausoleums, promoted the arts and sciences, and bestowed honours and financial rewards upon the teachers of [[rhetoric]] and [[philosophy]].<ref name="Weigel, Antoninus Pius"/> Antoninus made few initial changes when he became emperor, leaving the arrangements instituted by Hadrian as undisturbed as possible.{{sfn|Bowman|2000|p=151}} [[Epigraphy|Epigraphical]] and [[Prosopography|prosopographical]] research has revealed that Antoninus's imperial ruling team centered around a group of closely knit senatorial families, most of them members of the priestly congregation for the cult of Hadrian, the ''[[sodales Hadrianales]]''. According to the German historian [[Hans-Georg Pflaum|H.-G. Pflaum]], prosopographical research of Antoninus's ruling team allows us to grasp the deeply conservative character of the ruling senatorial [[caste]].<ref>H.-G. Pflaum, "Les prêtres du culte impérial sous le règne d'Antonin le Pieux". In: ''Comptes rendus des séances de l'Académie des Inscriptions et Belles-Lettres'', 111<sup>e</sup> année, N. 2, 1967. pp. 194–209. Available at [http://www.persee.fr/doc/crai_0065-0536_1967_num_111_2_12096] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180602230502/https://www.persee.fr/doc/crai_0065-0536_1967_num_111_2_12096|date=2 June 2018}}. Accessed 27 January 2016</ref>

He owned palatial villas near [[Lanuvium]] and [[Villa Magna]] (Latium) and his ancestral estate at [[Lorium]] (Etruria).<ref>Eutropius, Breviarium ab Urbe condita, VIII, 8</ref>

=== Lack of warfare ===
[[File:Temple of Divus Antoninus Pius and Diva Faustina, Upper Via Sacra, Rome (33093993915).jpg|thumb|The temple of Antoninus and [[Faustina the Elder|Faustina]] in the [[Roman Forum]] (now the church of [[San Lorenzo in Miranda]]). The emperor and his ''[[Augusta (honorific)|Augusta]]'' were deified after their death by [[Marcus Aurelius]].]]

There are no records of his involvement in military acts during his tenure, with J. J. Wilkes noting that he likely never saw or commanded a Roman army and was never within five hundred miles of a legion throughout his twenty-three-year reign.<ref>J.J. Wilkes, ''The Journal of Roman Studies'', Vol. LXXV 19 book {{ISSN|0075-4358}}, p. 242.</ref>

His reign was the most peaceful in the entire history of the [[Principate]],{{sfn|Bury|1893|p=525}} even though there were several military disturbances in the Empire in his time. Such disturbances happened in [[Mauretania]], where a senator was named as governor of [[Mauretania Tingitana]] in place of the usual equestrian procurator<ref>[[René Rebuffat]], '"Enceintes urbaines et insécurité en Maurétanie Tingitane" In: ''[[Mélanges de l'École française de Rome]], Antiquité'', tome 86, n°1. 1974. pp. 501–522. Available at [http://www.persee.fr/doc/mefr_0223-5102_1974_num_86_1_970] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180504043706/https://www.persee.fr/doc/mefr_0223-5102_1974_num_86_1_970|date=4 May 2018}}. Accessed 26 December 2015</ref> and cavalry reinforcements from [[Pannonia]] were brought in,<ref>[[Michel Christol]], "L'armée des provinces pannoniennes et la pacification des révoltes maures sous Antonin le Pieux". In: ''Antiquités africaines'', 17, 1981. pp. 133–141.</ref> towns such as [[Sala Colonia|Sala]] and [[Tipasa]] being fortified.<ref>Michael Grant, ''The Antonines: The Roman Empire in Transition''. Abingdon: Routledge, 1996, {{ISBN|0-415-13814-0}}, p. 17; Rebuffat "Enceintes urbaines"</ref> Similar disturbances took place in [[Judea (Roman province)|Judea]], and amongst the [[Brigantes]] in [[Roman Britain|Britannia]]; however, these were considered less serious than prior (and later) revolts among both.{{sfn|Bury|1893|p=525}} It was however in Britain that Antoninus decided to follow a new, more aggressive path, with the appointment of a new governor in 139, [[Quintus Lollius Urbicus]],{{sfn|Bowman|2000|p=151}} a native of [[Numidia]] and previously governor of [[Germania Inferior]]<ref>Salway, ''A History of Roman Britain''. Oxford University Press: 2001, {{ISBN|0-19-280138-4}}, p. 149</ref> as well as a [[novus homo|new man]].<ref>Birley, Anthony (2005), ''The Roman Government of Britain''. Oxford U.P., {{ISBN|978-0-19-925237-4}}, p. 137</ref>

Under instructions from the emperor, Lollius undertook an invasion of southern [[Scotland]], winning some significant victories and constructing the [[Antonine Wall]]{{sfn|Bowman|2000|p=152}} from the [[Firth of Forth]] to the [[Firth of Clyde]]. However, the wall was soon gradually decommissioned during the mid-150s and eventually abandoned late during the reign (early 160s) for reasons that are still unclear.{{sfn|Bowman|2000|p=155}}<ref>David Colin Arthur Shotter, ''Roman Britain'', Abingdon: Routledge, 2004, {{ISBN|0-415-31943-9}}, p. 49</ref> Antonine's Wall is mentioned in just one literary source, Antoninus's biography in the ''[[Historia Augusta]]''. [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]] makes a brief and confused mention of a war in Britain. In one inscription honouring Antoninus, erected by [[Legio II Augusta]], which participated in the building of the Wall, [[The Bridgeness Slab|a relief showing four naked prisoners]], one of them beheaded, seems to stand for some actual warfare.<ref>Jean-Louis Voisin, "Les Romains, chasseurs de têtes". In: ''Du châtiment dans la cité. Supplices corporels et peine de mort dans le monde antique''. Table ronde de Rome (9–11 novembre 1982) Rome: École Française de Rome, 1984. pp. 241–293. Available at [http://www.persee.fr/doc/efr_0000-0000_1984_act_79_1_2537] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170302075126/http://www.persee.fr/doc/efr_0000-0000_1984_act_79_1_2537|date=2 March 2017}}. Accessed 14 January 2016</ref>

[[File:0 Antoninus Pius - Museo Chiaramonti (Vatican).JPG|thumb|left|Statue of Antoninus Pius in military garb and [[muscle cuirass]], from the [[Museo Chiaramonti]] ([[Vatican Museums]])]]
Although Antonine's Wall was, in principle, much shorter (37 miles in length as opposed to 73) and, at first sight, more defensible than Hadrian's Wall, the additional area that it enclosed within the Empire was barren, with land use for grazing already in decay.<ref>W. E. Boyd (1984),"Environmental change and Iron Age land management in the area of the Antonine Wall, central Scotland: a summary".''Glasgow Archaeological Journal'', Volume 11 Issue 1, pp. 75–81</ref> This meant that supply lines to the wall were strained enough such that the costs of maintaining the additional territory outweighed the benefits of doing so.<ref>Peter Spring, ''Great Walls and Linear Barriers''. Barnsley: Pen & Sword, 2015, {{ISBN|978-1-84884-377-6}}, p. 75</ref> Also, in the absence of urban development and the ensuing Romanization process, the rear of the wall could not be lastingly pacified.<ref>Edward Luttwak, ''The grand Strategy of the Roman Empire''. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1979, {{ISBN|0-8018-2158-4}}, p. 88</ref>

It has been speculated that the invasion of Lowland Scotland and the building of the wall had to do mostly with internal politics, that is, offering Antoninus an opportunity to gain some modicum of necessary military prestige at the start of his reign. An Imperial salutation followed the campaign in Britannia—that is, Antoninus formally took for the second (and last) time the title of [[Imperator]] in 142.<ref>David J. Breeze, ''Roman Frontiers in Britain''. London: Bloomsbury, 2013, {{ISBN|978-1-8539-9698-6}}, p. 53</ref> The fact that around the same time coins were struck announcing a victory in Britain points to Antoninus's need to publicise his achievements.<ref>Salway, 149</ref> The orator [[Marcus Cornelius Fronto|Fronto]] was later to say that, although Antoninus bestowed the direction of the British campaign to others, he should be regarded as the helmsman who directed the voyage, whose glory, therefore, belonged to him.<ref>Birley, Anthony (2012). ''Marcus Aurelius'', London: Routledge, 2012, {{ISBN|0-415-17125-3}}, p. 61</ref>

That this quest for some military achievement responded to an actual need is proved by the fact that, although generally peaceful, Antoninus's reign was not free from attempts at usurpation: ''Historia Augusta'' mentions two, made by the senators Cornelius Priscianus ("for disturbing the peace of Spain";<ref>Simon Hornblower, Antony Spawforth, Esther Eidinow (2014): ''The Oxford Companion to Classical Civilization''. {{ISBN|978-0-1910-1676-9}}, entry "Antoninus Pius"</ref> Priscianus had also been Lollius Urbicus's successor as governor of Britain) and Atilius Rufius Titianus (possibly a troublemaker already exiled under Hadrian<ref>Herbert W. Benario (1980), ''A Commentary on the Vita Hadriani in the Historia Augusta''. Scholars Press, {{ISBN|978-0-891-30391-6}}, p. 103</ref>). Both attempts are confirmed by the [[Fasti Ostienses]] and by the erasing of Priscianus' name from an inscription.<ref>Albino Garzetti, ''From Tiberius to the Antonines: A History of the Roman Empire AD 14–192''. London: Routledge, 2014, {{ISBN|978-1-138-01920-1}}, p. 447; [[Paul Veyne]], ''L'Empire Gréco-Romain'', Paris: Seuil, 2005, {{ISBN|2-02-057798-4}}, p. 28, footnote 61; Salway, 149</ref> In both cases, Antoninus was not in formal charge of the ensuing repression: Priscianus committed suicide and Titianus was found guilty by the Senate, with Antoninus abstaining from sequestering their families' properties.<ref>Marta García Morcillo, ''Las ventas por subasta en el mundo romano: la esfera privada''. Edicions Universitat Barcelona, 2005, {{ISBN|84-475-3017-5}}, p. 301</ref>

[[File:ANTONINUS PIUS. 138-161 AD Parthia coinage.jpg|thumb|A coin of Antoninus Pius showing a subdued [[Parthia]] (''PAR-TH-IA'' on the reverse) handing the crown to him, an empty claim that Parthia was still subject to Rome after the events surrounding [[Parthamaspates of Parthia|Parthamaspates]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schlude |first1=Jason M. |title=Rome, Parthia, and the Politics of Peace: The Origins of War in the Ancient Middle East |date=13 January 2020 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-351-13570-2 |page=176 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=l-LNDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA176 |language=en}}</ref>]]
There were also some troubles in [[Dacia Inferior]], which required the granting of additional powers to the [[Procurator (Roman)|procurator]] governor and the dispatch of additional soldiers to the province.{{sfn|Bowman|2000|p=155}} On the northern [[Black Sea]] coast, the Greek city of [[Olbia, Ukraine|Olbia]] was held against the [[Scythians]].<ref>Gocha R. Tsetskhladze, ed., ''North Pontic Archaeology: Recent Discoveries and Studies''. Leiden: Brill, 2001, {{ISBN|90-04-12041-6}}, p. 425</ref> Also during his reign the governor of [[Upper Germany]], probably Gaius Popillius Carus Pedo, built new fortifications in the [[Agri Decumates]], advancing the [[Limes Germanicus]] fifteen miles forward in his province and neighboring [[Raetia]].{{sfn|Birley|2000|p=113}} In the East, Roman suzerainty over [[Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)|Armenia]] was retained by the choice in AD 140 of [[Arsacid dynasty of Armenia|Arsacid]] scion [[Sohaemus of Armenia|Sohaemus]] as client king.<ref>Rouben Paul Adalian, ''Historical Dictionary of Armenia'', Lanham: Scarecrow, 2010, {{ISBN|978-0-8108-6096-4}}, entry "Arshakuni/Arsacid", p. 174</ref>

Nevertheless, Antoninus was virtually unique among emperors in that he dealt with these crises without leaving Italy once during his reign,<ref>Speidel, Michael P., ''Riding for Caesar: The Roman Emperors' Horse Guards'', Harvard University Press, 1997, p. 50</ref> but instead dealt with provincial matters of war and peace through their governors or through imperial letters to the cities such as Ephesus (of which some were publicly displayed). His contemporaries and later generations highly praised this style of government.<ref>See Victor, 15:3</ref>

Antoninus was the last Roman Emperor recognised by the Indian Kingdoms, especially the [[Kushan Empire]].<ref name="RML131"/> Raoul McLaughlin quotes Aurelius Victor as saying, "The Indians, the Bactrians, and the Hyrcanians all sent ambassadors to Antoninus. They had all heard about the spirit of justice held by this great emperor, justice that was heightened by his handsome and grave countenance, and his slim and vigorous figure." Due to the outbreak of the Antonine epidemic and wars against northern Germanic tribes, the reign of Marcus Aurelius was forced to alter the focus of foreign policies, and matters relating to the Far East were increasingly abandoned in favour of those directly concerning the Empire's survival.<ref name="RML131">{{cite book |last1=McLaughlin |first1=Raoul |title=Rome and the Distant East: Trade Routes to the Ancient Lands of Arabia, India and China |date=2010 |publisher=A&C Black |isbn=9781847252357 |page=131 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gzJf1KgqrWQC&pg=PA131}}</ref>

=== Economy and administration ===
[[File:Aureus d'Antonin le Pieux.jpg|thumb|An [[aureus]] of Antoninus Pius, 145 AD. Inscription: ANTONINVS {{abbr|AVG|AUGUSTUS}} PIVS {{abbr|PP|PATER PARIAE}} / {{abbr|TR|TRIBUNICIA}} {{abbr|POT|POTESTAS}} {{abbr|COS|CONSUL}} IIII]]
Antoninus was regarded as a skilled administrator and builder. Despite an extensive building directive—the free access of the people of Rome to drinking water was expanded with the construction of aqueducts, not only in Rome but throughout the Empire, as well as bridges and roads—the emperor still managed to leave behind a sizable public treasury of around 2.7 billion [[Sestertius|sesterces]]. Rome would not witness another Emperor leaving his successor with a surplus for a long time, but the treasury was depleted almost immediately after Antoninus's reign due to the [[Antonine Plague]] brought back by soldiers after the Parthian victory.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Allen|first1=Timothy F. H.|last2=Hoekstra|first2=Thomas W.|last3=Tainter|first3=Joseph A.|title=Supply-Side Sustainability|date=2012|publisher=Columbia University Press|isbn=9780231504072|pages=105–106|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lQjb04tfBHsC&pg=PA106}}</ref>

The Emperor also famously suspended the collection of taxes from multiple cities affected by natural disasters, such as when fires struck Rome and Narbona, and earthquakes affected [[Rhodes]] and the [[Province of Asia]]. He offered hefty financial grants for rebuilding and recovery of various Greek cities after two serious earthquakes: the first, {{circa|140}}, which mainly affected Rhodes and other islands; the second, in 152, which hit [[Cyzicus]] (where the huge and newly built Temple to Hadrian was destroyed<ref>Barbara Burrell. ''Neokoroi: Greek Cities and Roman Emperors''. Leiden: Brill, 2004, {{ISBN|90-04-12578-7}}, p. 87</ref>), [[Ephesus]], and [[Smyrna]]. Antoninus's financial help earned him praise from Greek writers such as [[Aelius Aristides]] and Pausanias.<ref>E.E. Bryant, ''The Reign of Antoninus Pius''. Cambridge University Press: 1895, pp. 45–46, 68.</ref> These cities received the usual honorific accolades from Antoninus, such as when he commanded that all governors of Asia should enter the province when taking office through Ephesus.<ref>Conrad Gempf, ed., ''The Book of Acts in Its Graeco-Roman Setting''. Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1994, {{ISBN|0-85364-564-7}}, p. 305</ref> Ephesus was especially favoured by Antoninus, who confirmed and upheld its distinction of having two temples for the imperial cult ([[neocorate]]), therefore having first place in the list of imperial honor titles, surpassing both Smyrna and [[Pergamon]].<ref>Emmanuelle Collas-Heddeland, "Le culte impérial dans la compétition des titres sous le Haut-Empire. Une lettre d'Antonin aux Éphésiens". In: ''Revue des Études Grecques'', tome 108, Juillet-décembre 1995. pp. 410–429. Available at [http://www.persee.fr/doc/reg_0035-2039_1995_num_108_2_2661] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180603005958/https://www.persee.fr/doc/reg_0035-2039_1995_num_108_2_2661|date=3 June 2018}}. Retrieved 22 January 2016; Edmund Thomas,(2007): ''Monumentality and the Roman Empire: Architecture in the Antonine Age''. Oxford U. Press, {{ISBN|978-0-19-928863-2}}, p. 133</ref>

In his dealings with Greek-speaking cities, Antoninus followed the policy adopted by Hadrian of ingratiating himself with local elites, especially with local intellectuals: philosophers, teachers of literature, rhetoricians, and physicians were explicitly exempted from any duties involving private spending for civic purposes, a privilege granted by Hadrian that Antoninus confirmed by means of an edict preserved in the [[Digest (Roman law)|Digest]] (27.1.6.8).<ref>Philip A. Harland, ed., ''Greco-Roman Associations: Texts, translations and commentaries. II: North Coast of the Black Sea, Asia Minor ''. Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 2014, {{ISBN|978-3-11-034014-3}}, p. 381</ref> Antoninus also created a chair for the teaching of rhetoric in [[Athens]].<ref>Paul Graindor, "Antonin le Pieux et Athènes". ''Revue belge de philologie et d'histoire'', tome 6, fasc. 3–4, 1927. pp. 753–756. Available at [http://www.persee.fr/doc/rbph_0035-0818_1927_num_6_3_6468] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180603171541/https://www.persee.fr/doc/rbph_0035-0818_1927_num_6_3_6468|date=3 June 2018}}. Retrieved 22 January 2016</ref>

Antoninus was known as an avid observer of rites of religion and formal celebrations, both Roman and foreign. He is known for having increasingly formalized the official cult offered to the [[Cybele|Great Mother]], which from his reign onwards included a bull sacrifice, a [[taurobolium]], formerly only a private ritual, now being also performed for the sake of the Emperor's welfare.<ref>Gary Forsythe, ''Time in Roman Religion: One Thousand Years of Religious History''. London: Routledge, 2012, {{ISBN|978-0-415-52217-5}}, p. 92</ref> Antoninus also offered patronage to the worship of [[Mithraism|Mithras]], to whom he erected a temple in [[Ostia Antica|Ostia]].<ref>[[Samuel Dill]], ''Roman Society from Nero to Marcus Aurelius''. Library of Alexandria, s.d.g.</ref> In 148, he presided over the celebrations of the 900th anniversary of the founding of Rome.

=== Legal reforms ===
[[File:Copy inscribed in marble of a letter from Antoninus Pius to the Ephesians, from the Bouleuterion at Ephesus, 140-144 AD, British Museum (16965588461).jpg|thumb|Copy inscribed in marble of a letter from Antoninus to the Ephesians, from the [[Bouleuterion]] at Ephesus, 140–144 AD, explaining how the emperor resolved a dispute between the Roman cities of [[Ephesus]] and [[Smyrna]].<br/> [[British Museum]], London.]]

Antoninus tried to portray himself as a magistrate of the ''[[res publica]]'', no matter how extended and ill-defined his competencies were. He is credited with splitting the imperial treasury, the [[fiscus]]. This splitting had to do with the division of imperial properties into two parts. Firstly, the fiscus itself, or ''patrimonium'', meaning the properties of the "Crown", the hereditary properties of each succeeding person that sat on the throne, transmitted to his successors in office,<ref>''Oxford Classical Dictionary'', London: 2012, {{ISBN|978-0-19-954556-8}}, entry "Patrimonium".</ref> regardless of their previous membership in the imperial family.<ref>After the death of [[Nero]], the personal properties of the [[Julio-Claudian dynasty]] had been appropriated by the [[Flavian dynasty|Flavians]], and therefore turned into public properties: Carrié & Roussele, 586</ref> Secondly, the ''res privata'', the "private" properties tied to the personal maintenance of the emperor and his family,<ref>Carrié & Rousselle, 586</ref> something like a [[Privy Purse]]. An anecdote in the ''[[Historia Augusta]]'' biography, where Antoninus replies to Faustina (who complained about his stinginess) that "we have gained an empire [and] lost even what we had before," possibly relates to Antoninus's actual concerns at the creation of the ''res privata''.<ref>''The Cambridge Ancient History Volume 11: The High Empire, AD 70–192''. Cambridge U.P., 2009, {{ISBN|9780521263351}}, p. 150</ref> While still a private citizen, Antoninus had increased his personal fortune significantly using various legacies, the consequence of his caring scrupulously for his relatives.<ref>Edward Champlin, ''Final Judgments: Duty and Emotion in Roman Wills, 200 B.C.&nbsp;– A.D. 250''. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1991, {{ISBN|0-520-07103-4}}, p. 98</ref> Also, Antoninus left behind him a reputation for stinginess and was probably determined not to leave his personal property to be "swallowed up by the demands of the imperial throne".{{sfn|Birley|2000|p=71}}

The ''res privata'' lands could be sold and/or given away, while the ''patrimonium'' properties were regarded as public.<ref>David S. Potter, ''The Roman Empire at Bay''. London: Routledge, 2014, {{ISBN|978-0-415-84054-5}}, p. 49</ref> It was a way of pretending that the Imperial function—and most properties attached to it—was a public one, formally subject to the authority of the Senate and the Roman people.<ref>Heinz Bellen, "Die 'Verstaatlichung' des Privatvermögens der römische Kaiser". Hildegard Temporini, ed., ''Aufstieg und Niedergang der römischen Welt'', Berlin: De Gruyter, 1974, {{ISBN|3-11-004571-0}}, p. 112</ref> That the distinction played no part in subsequent political history—that the ''personal'' power of the [[princeps]] absorbed his role as office-holder—proves that the autocratic logic of the imperial order had already subsumed the old republican institutions.<ref>Aloys Winterling, ''Politics and Society in Imperial Rome''. Malden, MA: John Wiley & sons, 2009, {{ISBN|978-1-4051-7969-0}}, pp. 73–75</ref>

Of the public transactions of this period, there is only the scantiest of information. However, to judge by what is extant, those twenty-two years were not remarkably eventful compared to those before and after the reign.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}} However, Antoninus did take a great interest in the revision and practice of the law throughout the empire.{{sfn|Bury|1893|p=526}} One of his chief concerns was to having local communities conform their legal procedures to existing Roman norms: in a case concerning the repression of banditry by local police officers ("[[Eirenarch|irenarchs]]", Greek for "peacekeepers") in Asia Minor, Antoninus ordered that these officers should not treat suspects as already condemned, and also keep a detailed copy of their interrogations, to be used in the possibility of an appeal to the Roman governor.<ref>Clifford Ando, ''Imperial Rome AD 193 to 284: The Critical Century''. Edinburgh University Press, 2012, {{ISBN|978-0-7486-2050-0}}, p. 91</ref> Also, although Antoninus was not an innovator, he would not always follow the absolute letter of the law. Rather, he was driven by concerns over humanity and equality and introduced into [[Roman law]] many important new principles based upon this notion.{{sfn|Bury|1893|p=526}}

In this, the emperor was assisted by five chief lawyers: [[Lucius Fulvius Aburnius Valens]], an author of legal treatises;<ref>John Anthony Crook, ''Consilium Principis: Imperial Councils and Counsellors from Augustus to Diocletian''. Cambridge U.P.: 1955, p. 67</ref> [[Lucius Ulpius Marcellus]], a prolific writer; and three others.{{sfn|Bury|1893|p=526}} Of these three, the most prominent was [[Lucius Volusius Maecianus]], a former military officer turned by Antoninus into a civil procurator, and who, given his subsequent career (discovered on the basis of epigraphical and prosopographic research), was the emperor's most important legal adviser.<ref>A. Arthur Schiller, ''Roman Law: Mechanisms of Development''. The Hague: Mouton, 1978, {{ISBN|90-279-7744-5}}, p. 477</ref> Maecianus would eventually be chosen to occupy various prefectures (see below) as well as to conduct the legal studies of Marcus Aurelius. He also authored an extensive work on ''Fidei commissa'' (Testamentary Trusts). As a hallmark of the increased connection between jurists and the imperial government,<ref>George Mousourakis, ''Roman Law and the Origins of the Civil Law Tradition'', Heidelberg: Springer, {{ISBN|978-3-319-12267-0}}, p. 79</ref> Antoninus's reign also saw the appearance of the ''[[Institutes of Gaius|Institutes]]'' of [[Gaius (jurist)|Gaius]], an elementary legal textbook for beginners.{{sfn|Bury|1893|p=526}}
[[File:INC-1833-a Ауреус Антонин Пий ок. 153-154 гг. (аверс).png|thumb|Gold [[aureus]] of Antoninus, 153 AD. ANTONINVS AVG PIVS PP TR P XVII]]
Antoninus passed measures to facilitate the [[Manumission|enfranchisement]] of [[Slavery in ancient Rome|slaves]].{{sfn|Bury|1893|p=527}} Mostly, he favoured the principle of ''favor libertatis'', giving the putative freedman the benefit of the doubt when the claim to freedom was not clear-cut.<ref>Keith Bradley, ''Slavery and Society at Rome''. Cambridge University Press: 1994, {{ISBN|9780521263351}}, p. 162</ref> Also, he punished the killing of a slave by their master without previous trial<ref>Aubert, Jean-Jacques. "L'esclave en droit romain ou l'impossible réification de l'homme". Esclavage et travail forcé, ''Cahiers de la Recherche sur les droits fondamentaux'' (CRDF). Vol. 10. 2012.</ref> and determined that slaves could be forcibly sold to another master by a [[proconsul]] in cases of consistent mistreatment.<ref>Anastasia Serghidou, ed. ''Fear of slaves, fear of enslavement in the ancient Mediterranean''. Presses Univ. Franche-Comté, 2007 {{ISBN|978-2-84867-169-7}}, p. 159</ref> Antoninus upheld the enforcement of contracts for selling of female slaves forbidding their further employment in prostitution.<ref>Jean-Michel Carrié & Aline Rousselle, ''L'Empire Romain en Mutation, des Sévères à Constantin, 192–337''. Paris: Seuil 1999, {{ISBN|2-02-025819-6}}, p. 290</ref> In criminal law, Antoninus introduced the important principle of the [[presumption of innocence]]—namely, that accused persons are not to be treated as guilty before trial,{{sfn|Bury|1893|p=527}} as in the case of the irenarchs (see above). Antoninus also asserted the principle that the trial was to be held and the punishment inflicted in the place where the crime had been committed. He mitigated the use of [[torture]] in examining slaves by certain limitations. Thus, he prohibited the application of torture to children under fourteen years, though this rule had exceptions.{{sfn|Bury|1893|p=527}} However, it must be stressed that Antoninus ''extended'', using a [[rescript]], the use of torture as a means of obtaining evidence to pecuniary cases, when it had been applied up until then only in criminal cases.<ref>[[Digest (Roman law)|Digest]], 48.18.9, as quoted by Edward Peters, ''Torture'', Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996, {{ISBN|0-8122-1599-0}}, p. 29</ref> Also, already at the time torture of free men of low status (''humiliores'') had become legal, as proved by the fact that Antoninus exempted town councillors expressly from it, and also free men of high rank (''honestiores'') in general.<ref>Grant, pp. 154–155.</ref>

One highlight during his reign occurred in 148, with the 900th anniversary of the foundation of [[Rome]] being celebrated by hosting magnificent games in the city.{{sfn|Bowman|2000|p=154}} It lasted many days, and a host of exotic animals were killed, including [[elephant]]s, [[giraffe]]s, [[tiger]]s, [[rhinoceros]]es, [[crocodile]]s and [[hippopotamus]]es. While this increased Antoninus's popularity, the frugal emperor had to debase the [[Roman currency]]. He decreased the silver purity of the denarius from 89% to 83.5, the actual silver weight dropping from 2.88&nbsp;grams to 2.68&nbsp;grams.{{sfn|Bowman|2000|p=155}}<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20010210220413/http://www.tulane.edu/~august/handouts/601cprin.htm Tulane University "Roman Currency of the Principate"]</ref>

Antoninus is a likely candidate for the Antoninus named multiple times in the [[Talmud]] as a friend of [[Rabbi]] [[Judah Ha-Nasi]].<ref name="f607">{{cite web | title=Esau the Ancestor of Rome|last=Simkovich|first=Malka | website=TheTorah.com | date=18 March 2025 | url=https://www.thetorah.com/article/esau-the-ancestor-of-rome | access-date=18 March 2025}}</ref><ref name="i615">{{cite journal | last=Naiweld | first=Ron | title=There Is Only One Other: The Fabrication of Antoninus in a Multilayered Talmudic Dialogue | journal=Jewish Quarterly Review | volume=104 | issue=1 | date=2014 | issn=1553-0604 | doi=10.1353/jqr.2014.0000 | pages=81–104}}</ref> In the Talmudic tractate ''[[Avodah Zarah]]'' 10a–b, Rabbi Judah—exceptionally wealthy and highly revered in Rome—shared a close friendship with a man named Antoninus (possibly Antoninus Pius), who frequently sought his counsel on spiritual (in this context, [[Judaism|Jewish]]), philosophical, and governance matters.<ref>A. Mischcon, Abodah Zara, p.10a Soncino, 1988. Mischcon cites various sources, "SJ Rappaport... is of opinion that our Antoninus is Antoninus Pius." Other opinions cited suggest "Antoninus" was [[Caracalla]], [[Lucius Verus]], or [[Alexander Severus]].</ref>

=== Diplomatic mission to China ===
{{See also|Sino-Roman relations}}
[[File:Green glass Roman cup unearthed at Eastern Han tomb, Guixian, China.jpg|thumb|Green [[Roman glass]] cup unearthed from an [[Eastern Han dynasty]] (25–220 AD) tomb, [[Guangxi]], China]]
The first group of people claiming to be an ambassadorial mission of Romans to China was recorded in 166 AD by the ''[[Hou Hanshu]]''.<ref name="halsall 2000"/> Harper (2017)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Harper |first1=Kyle |title=The Fate of Rome |date=2017 |publisher=Princeton University Press |location=Princeton, New Jersey, United States}}</ref> states that the embassy was likely to be a group of merchants, as many Roman merchants traveled to India and some might have gone beyond, while there are no records of official ambassadors of Rome travelling as far east. The group came to [[Emperor Huan of Han|Emperor Huan]] of [[Han China]] and claimed to be an embassy from "Andun" ({{Lang-zh|安敦 ''āndūn''}}; for ''Anton''-inus), "king of [[Daqin]]" (Rome).<ref>"...&nbsp;其王常欲通使于汉，而安息欲以汉缯彩与之交市，故遮阂不得自达。至桓帝延熹九年，大秦王安敦遣使自日南徼外献象牙、犀角、瑇瑁，始乃一通焉。其所表贡，并无珍异，疑传者过焉。" 《后汉书·西域传》<br/>Translation:<br/>"...&nbsp;The king of this state always wanted to enter into diplomatic relations with the Han. But Anxi wanted to trade with them in Han silk and so put obstacles in their way, so that they could never have direct relations [with Han]. This continued until the ninth year of the Yanxi (延熹) reign period of Emperor Huan (桓) (A.D. 166), when Andun 安敦, king of Da Qin, sent an envoy from beyond the frontier of [[Rinan]] (日南) who offered elephant tusk, rhinoceros horn, and tortoise shell. It was only then that for the first time communication was established [between the two states]." "Xiyu Zhuan" of the [[Hou Hanshu]] (ch. 88)<br/>in {{cite journal |last1=YU |first1=Taishan (Chinese Academy of Social Sciences) |title=China and the Ancient Mediterranean World: A Survey of Ancient Chinese Sources |journal=Sino-Platonic Papers |date=2013 |volume=242 |pages=25–26 |citeseerx=10.1.1.698.1744 }}.<br/>Chinese original: {{cite web |title=Chinese Text Project Dictionary |url=https://ctext.org/dictionary.pl?if=en&id=77775&remap=gb |website=ctext.org |language=en}}</ref> As Antoninus Pius died in 161, leaving the empire to his adoptive son [[Marcus Aurelius|Marcus Aurelius (Antoninus)]], and the envoy arrived in 166, confusion remains about who sent the mission, given that both emperors were named "Antoninus".<ref>{{cite book|last=Yü|first=Ying-shih|year=1986|chapter=Han Foreign Relations|editor1-first=Denis|editor1-last=Twitchett|editor2-first=Michael|editor2-last=Loewe|title=The Cambridge History of China: Volume I: the Ch'in and Han Empires, 221 B.C. – A.D. 220<!-- conflicting page refs removed |pages=377–462|pages=460–461-->|location=Cambridge|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-24327-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=de Crespigny|first=Rafe|year=2007|title=A Biographical Dictionary of Later Han to the Three Kingdoms (23–220 AD)|location=Leiden|publisher=Koninklijke Brill|page=600|isbn=978-90-04-15605-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Pulleyblank|first1=Edwin G.|last2=Leslie|first2=D. D.|last3=Gardiner|first3=K. H. J.|year=1999|title=The Roman Empire as Known to Han China|journal=Journal of the American Oriental Society|volume=119|number=1|pages=71–79|doi=10.2307/605541|jstor=605541}}</ref> The Roman mission came from the south (therefore probably by [[sea]]), entering China by the frontier province of [[Jiaozhi]] at [[Rinan]] or [[Tonkin]] (present-day northern [[Vietnam]]). It brought presents of [[rhinoceros]] [[horn (anatomy)|horn]]s, [[ivory]], and [[tortoise]] [[Exoskeleton|shell]], probably acquired in [[South Asia]].<ref name="halsall 2000"/><ref>Hill (2009), p. 27 and nn. 12.18 and 12.20.</ref> The text states explicitly that it was the first time there had been direct contact between the two countries.<ref name="halsall 2000">For a full translation of that passage, see: {{cite web|orig-year=1998|date=2000|author=Paul Halsall|editor=Jerome S. Arkenberg|url=http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/eastasia/romchin1.html|title=East Asian History Sourcebook: Chinese Accounts of Rome, Byzantium and the Middle East, c. 91 B.C.E. – 1643 C.E.|publisher=[[Fordham University]]|website=Fordham.edu|access-date=17 September 2016|archive-date=10 September 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910050947/http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/eastasia/romchin1.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Hill 2009, p. 27">Hill (2009), p. 27.</ref>

Furthermore, a piece of [[Roman Republic|Republican]]-era [[Roman glass]]ware has been found at a [[Western Han]] tomb in [[Guangzhou]] along the [[South China Sea]], dated to the early 1st century BC.<ref>{{cite book|last=An|first=Jiayao|year=2002|contribution=When Glass Was Treasured in China|editor1-first=Annette L.|editor1-last=Juliano|editor2-first=Judith A.|editor2-last=Lerner|title=Silk Road Studies VII: Nomads, Traders, and Holy Men Along China's Silk Road|location=Turnhout|publisher=Brepols|isbn=2503521789|page=83}}</ref> Roman golden medallions made during the reign of Antoninus Pius and perhaps even Marcus Aurelius have been found at [[Óc Eo]] in southern Vietnam, then part of the [[Kingdom of Funan]] near the Chinese province of [[Jiaozhi]].<ref name="young 2001 pp29-30"/><ref name="osborne 2006 pp24-25"/> This may have been the port city of [[Kattigara]], described by [[Ptolemy]] ({{Circa|150}}) as being visited by a Greek sailor named Alexander and lying beyond the [[Golden Chersonese]] (i.e., [[Malay Peninsula]]).<ref name="young 2001 pp29-30">{{cite book|first=Gary K.|last=Young| year=2001|title=Rome's Eastern Trade: International Commerce and Imperial Policy, 31 BC – AD 305|location=London & New York|publisher=Routledge|isbn=0-415-24219-3|pages=29–30}}</ref><ref name="osborne 2006 pp24-25">For further information on [[Oc Eo]], see {{cite book|first=Milton|last=Osborne|year=2006|title=The Mekong: Turbulent Past, Uncertain Future|location=Crows Nest|publisher=Allen & Unwin|edition=revised|orig-year=first published 2000|isbn=1-74114-893-6|pages=24–25}}</ref> Roman coins from the reigns of [[Tiberius]] to [[Aurelian]] have been discovered in [[Xi'an]], China (site of the Han capital [[Chang'an]]), although the significantly greater amount of [[Indo-Roman trade relations|Roman coins unearthed in India]] suggest the Roman maritime trade for [[History of silk|purchasing Chinese silk]] was centered there, not in China or even the overland [[Silk Road]] running through ancient Iran.<ref name="ball 2016 p154">{{cite book|author-link=Warwick Ball|last=Ball|first=Warwick|year=2016|title=Rome in the East: Transformation of an Empire|edition=2nd|location=London & New York|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0-415-72078-6|page=154}}</ref>