ANTONINE

either of the Roman emperors Antoninus Pius (reigned AD 138161) and his adopted heir Marcus Aurelius (161180). The term Antonines also usually includes Lucius Verus (161169), another adopted heir of Antoninus Pius and co-emperor with Marcus Aurelius, as well as Commodus (176192), son of Marcus Aurelius and co-emperor and then sole emperor. The Antonine period 138180 was one of great internal peace and prosperity, when the sense of unity, the reconciliation of peoples, was greatest throughout the Roman Empire. See Five Good Emperors.