Description
Book SynopsisTakes a fresh look at the life of Nero (r. AD 54â68), providing insight into the inner conflicts of a Roman society in transition and challenging preconceptions of a figure dismissed by a hostile source-tradition as tyrannical, deluded and ineffectual.
Table of ContentsIntroduction – approaches to Nero; the source tradition
1. Nero and the family of Augustus – Augustus and the system of the principate; Julio-Claudian society; Nero’s family
2. Power and succession – Nero’s accession; expectations of the new reign; poetry and imagery
3. Conflict and reform – Nero and the military; external conflicts; the Armenian War; Britain and the Boudicca rebellion
4. Spectacle and splendor – Nero’s reforms and major projects; public entertainment; Nero on stage
5. Passion and discord – the imperial family; Nero’s wives and daughter
6. Fire – the great fire of Rome of AD 64
7. The new Apollo – Nero’s palaces and the Domus Aurea; luxury and elite society; diplomacy and triumph
8. Crisis and death – internal conflict and elite resistance; rebellion; Nero’s death; civil war; ‘False Neros’ and Nero’s enduring popularity
Bibliography
Credits
Index
