Maria, what do you make of the arguments in his favour, or to mitigate the damaging reputation he has those arguments over the last 25 years? Maria: One just has to be careful about how one approaches them. And stepping back and looking at emperors n the broader context of what was going on in that world makes it a little bit a, perhaps a little fairer judgment on what actually happened. I think when you pick out some of the things that tha nero did, they sound herrific, and yes, m they were. But they have to be understood in the context of the games... There are precedents for bigger and better palaces coming up under the jul
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