a god. but he was not destined to become emperor his accession was carefully engineered by his power hungry mother. agrippina was the daughter of an emperor the widow of a number of unknown the mother of an emperor. and astrologer once predicted her son would ascend the throne but that she would pay for his glory with her life to rich agrippina replied let them kill me then as long as he is emperor. at humble university in berlin researchers are trying to piece together the puzzle of nero s legacy. counter-terror she is a leading expert in the field a professor of ancient history and a specialist on the role of women in imperial rome. what is fiction and what is historical fact. jewish has studied the women in nero s life and one in
interests by employing a tutor to prepare him for the role of emperor. the philosopher seneca was a celebrated writer and a charismatic orator. the view from the circus maximus to the politan head of the science of the emperor s magnificent residence. its remains still testified to the prestige of its former residence. agra pina promoted the prospects of her son through scheming and intrigue. her brother colleague it low was murdered and succeeded by her uncle claudius and she married in the year forty nine. tacitus wrote from this point the empire was changed and all obeyed a woman. that gripping his choice of tutor for a young son proved wise. in his late forty s seneca was
an emperor who displayed his emotions and gauging singing lessons wrote poetry and ignored conventions and their view was met by ancient historians. neuros daughter died three months after her birth. tacitus wrote the emperor was excessive in his grief as he had been in his joy. inside can also discovered could be isn t infests people at the time had very rigid ideas about how a princeps should behave i m all the more baffled when nero failed to fit the mold well it was it could be but he also didn t fit the mold of the so-called bad empress in the way that type bury a soul killing him when under the kaiser. he was something singular and new and the consternation of a how to judge such
initially treated the senate with respect while senators could propose new legislation the emperor was free to accept or reject their proposals. but all members of the senate were patricians from the wealthy landowner class with huge financial assets. the young emperor was keen to have them on his side never the less a conflict erupted. the latter funereal of the leading aristocratic families great estates employing up to sixty thousand slaves some properties the size of a nation state. their crop yields were exempt from cause. it s duties and sold without surcharges at rome s giant food market unlike goods from the empire s
they presided over a period of stability with peace abroad and prosperity at home. seneca addressed his most famous moral treatise entitled on mercy in europe extolling the virtues of the emperor. this is we have so it s hard to say whether near i was a particularly mild rolo not there are a few episodes in primary sources that contradict the image of the bloodthirsty monster that he was repeatedly portrayed as in later accounts will be money in my view though. it s clear that nero s early reign was very unlike that of his uncle emperor of the gorilla who went out of his way to antagonize the senate. he insulted him really needed and expropriated senators driving some to suicide and effectively disenfranchised the council. in contrast nero and his advisors