Childhood (1-2)
when was Nero born?
At Antium on 15 December
What did Nero promise the people?
He promised to model his rule of the principles laid down by Agustus.
What had he been interested in since childhood?
Horses & chariot races
What changed about him?
He turned quite brazen; His feasts now lasted from noon till midnight, with an occasional break for dividing into a warm bath or, if it were summer, into snow-cooled water.
Who was the author?
Suetonius
how old was Nero when his father died?
At the age of three Nero lost his father
Describe something(s) Nero did regarding money.
He lowered some of the heavier taxes and reduced by three-quarters; he presented the people with 400 sesterces each, settled annual salaries on distinguished but impoverished senators - to the amount of 500,000 sesterces in some cases; and granted the praetorian cohorts a free monthly issue of grain
How did Nero act when performing?
Nero’s stage fright and general nervousness, his jealousy of rivals, and his awe of the judges were more easily seen than believed
He forced his friends to provide him with dinners; one of them spent 4 million sesterces on a turban party, and another even more on a rose banquet
Who was this work translated by
Robert Graves
What circumstances did Nero grow up in and why?
He grew up in poor circumstances under the care of his aunt Domita Lepida because Gaius banished Agrippina (his mother)
Describe ways he was personable with the public
He never missed an opportunity to be generous or merciful or to show what a good companion he was; he seldom forgot a face, and would greet men of whatever rank by name without a moment’s hesitation
How did he treat competitors?
He treated his fellow competitors as though they were his equals, and would fuss over them, pay court to them, abuse them behind their backs, and sometimes insult them to their faces; if any were particularly good singers, he would bribe them not to do themselves justice.
What did he do to Sporus?
he tried to turn the boy Sporus into a girl by castration, he went through a wedding ceremony with him - dowry, bridal veil and all - which the whole court attended, then brought him home and treated him as a wife.
What was the title of this work
The Twelve Caesars
Describe Nero's father and something he did.
He had a despicable character and killed one of his own freedmen for refusing to drink as much as he was told.
Describe a time he was humble
Once, when the Senate passed a vote of thanks to him, he answered, ‘Wait until I deserve them!’
No one was allowed to leave the theater during his recitals, however pressing the reason, and the gates were kept barred. We hear of women in the audience giving birth and of men being so bored with the music and the applause that they furtively dropped down from the wall at the rear or shammed dead and were carried away for burial.
Describe his parties
Sometimes he would drain the artificial lake in the Campus Martius or the other in the Circus, and hold public dinner parties there, with prostitutes and dancing girls from all over the city serving as waitresses.
Guess how old Nero was as emperor based on his actions?
16
What did people say when Nero was born?
People at once made a number of ominous predictions: namely that any child born to himself and Agrippina was bound to have a detestable nature and become a public danger…
How did he impact charioteer races?
He frankly admitted that he wished the number of prizes increased; as a result, the races were multiplied so that the contests now lasted until a late hour and the faction managers no longer thought it worthwhile to bring out their teams except for a full day’s racing.
What did Nero do to the Vestal Virgin Rubria?
Not satisfied with seducing freeborn boys and married women, Nero raped the Vestal Virgin Rubria.