Table of Contents

Part I. Background: 1. Nero, 'bad' or 'good'?; 2. Agrippina and her legacy; 3. The establishment team; 4. Dissimulation?; 5. Frankness and enquiry; 6. Warfare and the generals; 7. Politics; Part II. Assessment: 8. Killer? I – 54-62; 9. Killer? II – 62-68; 10. Arsonist, persecutor and ruthless urban developer?; 11. Divinity, madness, acting, ideology, burn-out; 12. Depravity? 13. Finance; Part III. End: 14. Entr'acte – Greece; 15. Fall; 16. Conclusion.

Promotional Information

Nero was negligent, not tyrannical. This allowed others to rule, remarkably well, in his name until his negligence became insupportable.

About the Author

John F. Drinkwater is Emeritus Professor of Roman Imperial History at the University of Nottingham. He has been joint editor of the Derbyshire Archaeological Journal and is now also honorary lecturer in Archaeology at the University of Sheffield. He has been elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London. His principal field of research is the Roman West and his publications include Roman Gaul (1983); The Gallic Empire (1987); Fifth-Century Gaul (ed., with Hugh Elton, Cambridge, 1992); and The Alamanni and Rome 213–496 (2007).

Reviews

'Nero: Emperor and Court is a worthwhile read for those seriously interested in the early Roman Empire.' A. A. Nofi, StrategyPage (www.strategypage.com)

'… this stimulating, carefully researched and instructive book is an important contribution to the history of Rome in the time of Nero and to the study of political structures and the practice of rule in the early imperial period.' Holger Sonnabend, Bryn Mawr Classical Review

'This book provides new research on Nero's life and brings to discourse the reasoning behind the common evil stereotypes attributed to Nero … This book, aimed at scholars and students of Roman history, is highly recommended for its bold challenge against the popular perceptions of Nero today.' Philip Mathew, https://www.worldhistory.org