Why read Nero?

Book cover of Nero: Emperor and Court

Book description

This book portrays Nero, not as the murderous tyrant of tradition, but as a young man ever-more reluctant to fulfil his responsibilities as emperor and ever-more anxious to demonstrate his genuine skills as a sportsman and artist. This reluctance caused him to allow others to rule, and rule surprisingly well,…

Explore

Topics

Genres

History

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Nero as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Martin M. Winkler

Author

Did he or did he not fiddle while Rome burned?

In the popular imagination, Nero is the "baddest" Roman emperor of all: megalomaniac, matricide, arsonist, and first persecutor of Christians. The 1951 Hollywood version of Henryk Sienkiewicz’s novel Quo Vadis? summed up the common view: “the Antichrist known to history as the Emperor Nero.”

Historians have voiced doubts, but prejudices are virtually ineradicable. Drinkwater scrupulously examines all the ancient sources, proving that the historical record does not support the Christians’ view of Nero.

But how could anybody have been fiddling when string instruments were plucked but not played with a…

From Martin's 3 favorite reads in 2023.