DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.5625#0363
328
Survey of the Ancient World
663. The
infamy of
Nero's reign
Nero was devoted to art and wished personally to follow J •
As the companion of actors, sportsmen, and prize fighters, he
even took part in gladiatorial exhibitions. His cowardly and
suspicious nature led him to condemn his old teacher, Seneca*
to death, and also to cause the assassination of the son °f
Claudius and of many other innocent and deserving men. In
the same way he was persuaded - to take the life of his wife
and, to crown his infamy, he even had his own mother assas-
sinated. At the same time his wild extravagance, his excessive
taxation in some of the provinces, and his murders among the
rich and noble were stirring up dangerous dissatisfaction, which
was to result in his fall.
A great disaster, meantime, took place in Rome. A huge
fire broke out and destroyed a large portion of the city. Dark
rumors ran through the streets that Nero himself had set fire
to the city that he might rebuild it more splendidly, and gossip
told how he sat watching the conflagration while giving a musi-
cal performance of his own on the destruction of Troy. There
is no evidence to support these rumors. Under the circum-
stances, Nero himself welcomed another version, which accused
the Christians of having started the fire, and he executed a
large number of them with horrible tortures.
The dissatisfaction at Rome, and Nero's treatment of the
only able men around him, deprived him of support there. Then
the provinces began to chafe under heavy taxation. When the
discontent in the provinces finally broke out in open revolt,
rebellious troops marched on Rome. The cowardly Nero went
into hiding, and on hearing that the Senate had voted his death,
he theatrically stabbed himself, and, attitudinizing to the last, he
passed away uttering the words, " What an artist dies in me!"
Thus died, in a.d. 68, the last ruler of the line of Augustus, and
with him ended the first century of peace (31 b. c.-a. d. 68);
for several Roman commanders now struggled for the throne
and threatened to involve the Empire in another long civil war.
Survey of the Ancient World
663. The
infamy of
Nero's reign
Nero was devoted to art and wished personally to follow J •
As the companion of actors, sportsmen, and prize fighters, he
even took part in gladiatorial exhibitions. His cowardly and
suspicious nature led him to condemn his old teacher, Seneca*
to death, and also to cause the assassination of the son °f
Claudius and of many other innocent and deserving men. In
the same way he was persuaded - to take the life of his wife
and, to crown his infamy, he even had his own mother assas-
sinated. At the same time his wild extravagance, his excessive
taxation in some of the provinces, and his murders among the
rich and noble were stirring up dangerous dissatisfaction, which
was to result in his fall.
A great disaster, meantime, took place in Rome. A huge
fire broke out and destroyed a large portion of the city. Dark
rumors ran through the streets that Nero himself had set fire
to the city that he might rebuild it more splendidly, and gossip
told how he sat watching the conflagration while giving a musi-
cal performance of his own on the destruction of Troy. There
is no evidence to support these rumors. Under the circum-
stances, Nero himself welcomed another version, which accused
the Christians of having started the fire, and he executed a
large number of them with horrible tortures.
The dissatisfaction at Rome, and Nero's treatment of the
only able men around him, deprived him of support there. Then
the provinces began to chafe under heavy taxation. When the
discontent in the provinces finally broke out in open revolt,
rebellious troops marched on Rome. The cowardly Nero went
into hiding, and on hearing that the Senate had voted his death,
he theatrically stabbed himself, and, attitudinizing to the last, he
passed away uttering the words, " What an artist dies in me!"
Thus died, in a.d. 68, the last ruler of the line of Augustus, and
with him ended the first century of peace (31 b. c.-a. d. 68);
for several Roman commanders now struggled for the throne
and threatened to involve the Empire in another long civil war.