the real nero

Christians

Eheu!

Emperor Nero

Romans

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Fun facts!

His birth name was actually Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus

He was a patron of the arts so... he played the lyre

One of his favourite past times was to drive a chariot

He was quite short (1.4m tall aka 4'7)

What was the most revolutionary thing he did for Rome?

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Domus Aurea

The Golden House

Which rulers/leaders hated him?

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• Lot's of people hated Nero, even the imperial Roman army (Praetorian) had betrayed him, but in terms of actual leaders, Boudicca most definitely despised him the most.

• The reason why is due to the Romans' failure to honour their agreement with her husband, Prasutagus, that regarded his succession.

• He was the king of the Iceni tribe and had an agreement that he (alongside his daughters) would have indepence. However, according to Tacitus, the Romans seized lands, enslaved Icenians and humilated Prastugas' family. This was done by flogging and forcing themselves on his daughters.

• In the end Boudicca... died by committing suicide via poison.

His imagery (sculptures specifically)

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Was he good for the Roman Empire

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For the first five years at least He had done many things to advance Roman society: reformed the tax and judicial system to be fairer, improved Rome’s food supply, organised public works projects and entertainment. He even restored a lot of Rome Senate’s power that had been previously widdled away which is quite odd as it took away from his monarchical authority However, according to Suetonius, the emperor was ‘carried away by a craze for popularity’. Epictetus argued that Nero was an insecure, immature and unhappy man that needed acclaim. People claimed Nero was a lavish builder who only cared for his entertainment but others said he ran the treasury dry for the economy of Rome 68AD He raised taxes which caused discontent amongst the elite with Jews and Romans being expelled from Judea in the East.

Was he a good person

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Here, we can see the aging of his face, it had become more mature and hairy. Yet, not unsightly to the extent it would be in the future.

The Golden House

It was constructed, after the great fire of Rome, on the clearings - this made the public suspicious that he had committed the act for the lavish building. However, he was 30 miles away from Rome at the time!

• It had a 120-foot tall statue of Nero in bronze at the entrance vestibule to the complex
• Following his love for the creatives and fun, it was used for entertainment
• The palace even had approx. 300 rooms!

His sculptures when he was younger

• Youthfullness was a trait well favoured in Rome, it was attractive and the less hair you had on your body, the better.

• As this sculpture was of his youth(he became emperor at 17), it is more aesthetically pleasing but, as a note, he was actually considered very regular.

• Nero had assumedly, ginger to light blonde hair with blue-grey eyes (according to Suetonius) which weren't considered very appealing at the time.

His older years

• Here, Nero has lost his youth, after all, he has gone through the stress of being the emperor and not only that but as well as the stress of the senate's constant berating. It is likely that these factors aged him greatly
• The bulge on his head was due to his head being squashed when he was born