The Truth About Nero and Why Romans Loved Him

Rome's fifth emperor, Nero, is famous for being a murderous madman and a monster. So why was he so popular? And after his death, why did many Romans hold out hope that he was actually in exile somewhere plotting his return?

Nero WAS erratic and brutal, but his reign is often misunderstood. There's a lot to dig into on this one.

Thanks for watching!

TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
02:13 - Background on Nero and his times
Accounting for Nero's popularity...
05:11 - 1. A flair for the theatrical
09:07 - 2. Games and entertainments
12:08 - 3. Image above all
14:01 - 4. A man of the people
16:34 - 5. Nero's response to the Great Fire of Rome
21:00 - Conclusions

FIRST CENTURY OF ROMAN EMPERORS
• Augustus (31 B.C.–14 A.D.)
• Tiberius (14–37 A.D.)
• Caligula (37–41 A.D.)
• Claudius (41–54 A.D.)
• NERO (54–68 A.D.)
• Galba (68–69 A.D.)
• Otho (January–April 69 A.D.)
• Aulus Vitellius (July–December 69 A.D.)
• Vespasian (69–79 A.D.)
• Titus (79–81 A.D.)
• Domitian (81–96 A.D.)
• Nerva (96–98 A.D.)

SOURCES/READING
"Nero Reconsidered"
https://scholar.princeton.edu/sites/default/files/Nero%20Reconsidered_0.pdf

"Golden House of an Emperor"
https://www.archaeology.org/issues/187-1509/features/3562-golden-house-of-an-emperor

Van Overmeire, Sam. “According to the Habit of Foreign Kings : Nero, Ruler Ideology and the Hellenistic Monarchs.” Latomus 71, no. 3 (2012): 753–79. http://www.jstor.org/stable/23800048.

Mary Elizabeth Kelly Thornton. “Nero’s New Deal.” Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association 102 (1971): 621–29. https://doi.org/10.2307/2935958.

Mouratidis, John. “Nero: The Artist, the Athlete and His Downfall.” Journal of Sport History 12, no. 1 (1985): 5–20. http://www.jstor.org/stable/43606900.

#ancienthistory #ancientrome #romanhistory #nero #romanempire #romanemperor