Nero came to power with a very full intray. He inherited enth we've heard about from maria and shushma. In some ways as a stable system for transmitting powers, but in other ways has his huge tensions around the succession,. Around court dynamics and family politics. The provincial governors with their dangerous armies who were his eventual undoing. And he has buffer states on his eastern frontier that he has to deal with as well. Is he any good t dealing with the lack of money? No er. I the yes people have said in other context, i's like holding a wolf by the ears. It's very difficult to do for ever.
Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss the life of Nero (37-68 AD) who became Emperor at the age of 16. At first he was largely praised for his generosity yet became known for his debauched lifestyle, with allegations he started the Fire of Rome, watching the flames as he played the lyre. Christians saw him as their persecutor, an anti-Christ, and the number of the Beast in the Book of Revelation was thought to indicate Nero. He had confidence in his own artistry, took up acting (which then had a very low status) and, as revolts in the empire grew, killed himself after the Senate condemned him to die as a slave, on a cross.
With
Maria Wyke
Professor of Latin at University College London
Matthew Nicholls
Fellow and Senior Tutor at St John’s College, University of Oxford
And
Shushma Malik
Lecturer in Classics at the University of Roehampton
Producer: Simon Tillotson