A striking nuanced biography of Nero—the controversial populist ruler and last of the
Caesars—and a vivid portrait of ancient RomeThis exciting and provocative book grabs the reader
while supporting its arguments with careful classical scholarship.”—Barry Strauss author of
The War That Made the Roman Empire There are many infamous stories about the Roman emperor
Nero: He set fire to Rome and thrummed his lyre as it burned. Cruel vain and incompetent he
then cleared the charred ruins and built a vast palace. He committed incest with his mother
who had schemed and killed to place him on the throne and later murdered her. Nero has long
been the very image of a bad ruler a legacy left behind by the historians of his day who
despised him. But there is a mystery. For a long time after his death anonymous hands laid
flowers on his grave. The monster was loved. In this nuanced biography Anthony Everitt the
celebrated biographer of classical Greece and Rome and investigative journalist Roddy Ashworth
reveal the contradictions inherent in Nero and offer a reappraisal of his life. Contrary to
popular memory the empire was well managed during his reign. He presided over diplomatic
triumphs and Rome’s epic conquest of Britain and British queen Boudica’s doomed revolt against
Nero’s legions. He was also a champion of arts and culture who loved music and he won the
loyalty of the lower classes with fantastic spectacles. He did not set fire to Rome. In Nero
ancient Rome comes to life: the crowded streets that made it prone to fires deadly political
intrigues and building projects that continuously remade the city. In this teeming and
politically unstable world Nero was vulnerable to fierce reproach from the nobility and
relatives who would gladly usurp him and he was often too ready to murder rivals. He had a
vision for Rome but racked by insecurity perhaps he never really had the stomach to govern
it. This is the bloodstained story of one of Rome’s most notorious emperors. Nero has become a
byword for cruelty decadence and despotism but in Anthony Everitt’s hands Nero’s life is a
cautionary tale about the mettle it takes to rule.
