Marcus Annius Verus was a Roman

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....

 man who lived in the 1st and 2nd century. He was the son of an elder Marcus Annius Verus, who gained the rank of senator and praetor

Praetor

Praetor was a title granted by the government of Ancient Rome to men acting in one of two official capacities: the commander of an army, usually in the field, or the named commander before mustering the army; and an elected magistratus assigned varied duties...

. His family originated from Uccibi (modern Espejo) near Corduba (modern Córdoba

Córdoba, Spain

-History:The first trace of human presence in the area are remains of a Neanderthal Man, dating to c. 32,000 BC. In the 8th century BC, during the ancient Tartessos period, a pre-urban settlement existed. The population gradually learned copper and silver metallurgy...

) in Spain

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

. The family came to prominence and became wealthy through olive oil

Olive oil

Olive oil is an oil obtained from the olive , a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin. It is commonly used in cooking, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and soaps and as a fuel for traditional oil lamps...

 production in Spain.

He was prefect of Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 and was enrolled as a patrician when Vespasian

Vespasian

Vespasian , was Roman Emperor from 69 AD to 79 AD. Vespasian was the founder of the Flavian dynasty, which ruled the Empire for a quarter century. Vespasian was descended from a family of equestrians, who rose into the senatorial rank under the Emperors of the Julio-Claudian dynasty...

 and Titus

Titus

Titus , was Roman Emperor from 79 to 81. A member of the Flavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his father Vespasian upon his death, thus becoming the first Roman Emperor to come to the throne after his own father....

 were censors. Verus was three times consul. One was under the Emperor Domitian

Domitian

Domitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96. Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.Domitian's youth and early career were largely spent in the shadow of his brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish-Roman War...

, one in 121 and the other in 126. Verus married Rupilia

Rupilia

Rupilia Faustina was an influential Roman noble woman. She was the daughter of Salonina Matidia and suffect consul Lucius Scribonius Libo Rupilius Frugi Bonus. She possibly had another sister called Rupilia Annia....

 Faustina, a daughter from a consular family and had three children:

• Annia Galeria Faustina or Faustina the Elder
  Faustina the Elder
  Annia Galeria Faustina, more familiarly referred to as Faustina I , was a Roman Empress and wife of Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius.-Early life:...
  
  , a future Roman Empress who married future Roman Emperor Antoninus Pius
  Antoninus Pius
  Antoninus Pius , also known as Antoninus, was Roman Emperor from 138 to 161. He was a member of the Nerva-Antonine dynasty and the Aurelii. He did not possess the sobriquet "Pius" until after his accession to the throne...
  
  ;
• Marcus Annius Libo
  Marcus Annius Libo
  Marcus Annius Libo was a Roman who lived in the 2nd century. He was the son of Roman consul Marcus Annius Verus and Rupilia Faustina. He was consul in 128 and suffect consul in 161....
  
  , a future consul; and,
• Marcus Annius Verus
  Marcus Annius Verus (praetor)
  Marcus Annius Verus was a distinguished Roman politician who lived in the 2nd century, served as a praetor and was the biological father of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius....
  
  , a praetor who married Domitia Lucilla
  Domitia Lucilla
  Domitia Lucilla Minor sometimes known as Domitia Calvilla or Lucilla , was a noble Roman woman who lived in the 2nd century....
  
   and became father to future Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius and his sister Annia Cornificia Faustina
  Annia Cornificia Faustina
  Annia Cornificia Faustina was the youngest child and only daughter to Praetor Marcus Annius Verus and Domitia Lucilla. The parents of Cornificia came from wealthy senatorial families who were of consular rank. She was born and raised in Rome. The brother of Cornificia was the future Roman Emperor...
  
  .

After his son Marcus Annius Verus died in 124, the elder Verus adopted and raised Marcus Aurelius and his sister Annia Cornificia Faustina. In his "Meditations

Meditations

Meditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161–180 CE, setting forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy....

", Marcus Aurelius describes his paternal grandfather as a man of 'decency' and 'a mild temper' (1.1n). Marcus Annius Verus died in 138, nearly aged ninety. In his elder years, he had a mistress.

Marcus Aurelius says in his "Meditations": "From my grandfather Verus, a kindly disposition and sweetness of temper."