Marcus Aurelius\' function on the Danube

[Praefectus Urbi]

I apologise if some of this has already been rehashed. I think some of it was the sense of an emperor with no military experience going there to show he was a good leader. I think B. Campbell discusses this in his 'The Emperor and the Roman Army' in the section on the emperor as a military leader. Combined with the hard fighting it might be a good morale boost to see their emperor on the front with them as a fellow-soldier/comrade rather than a distant monarch.

Also, it may simply have just represented the serious nature of the campaign.

Michael