Short answers, pulled from the story.
Meditations was written by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 CE. He wrote it in Koine Greek as a private journal for his own guidance, much of it during military campaigns along Rome's northern frontier between 170 and 180 CE.
Internal notes in the text confirm that Book 1 was written in the country of the Quadi, at the Granova, identified as the modern Hron River in Slovakia. Book 2 was written at Carnuntum. Marcus also spent significant time writing at Sirmium while planning military campaigns.
The central themes include analyzing one's own judgment, developing a cosmic perspective on existence, and living in harmony with the logos, an orderly rational force Marcus believed guides all existence. He also emphasized avoiding sensory indulgence, maintaining ethical conduct, and distinguishing things within one's control from those outside it.
The first printed edition was published by Wilhelm Xylander in 1558 or 1559 in Zurich, at the instigation of Conrad Gesner. It included a Latin translation and brief notes by Xylander. The first English translation appeared in 1634, produced by Meric Casaubon.
The survival largely traces to Arethas of Caesarea (c. 860-935), a bishop who had an ancient falling-apart copy recopied before 907 CE. The modern text rests on two manuscripts: the now-lost Codex Palatinus, first published in 1558-59, and the Codex Vaticanus 1950, a damaged 14th-century manuscript held in the Vatican Library.
Wen Jiabao, the former Prime Minister of China, has said he read the Meditations a hundred times and was very deeply impressed by it. Former United States President Bill Clinton has described it as a favorite.