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Nero: A Life from Beginning to End
Nero.
The very name seems to embody the character of a tyrant. The years of his reign come down to us with tales full of self-serving totalitarianism. Wasn't he the one that fiddled while Rome burned after all? Wasn't this the mad monarch who wished to embark upon a building project, so he set the old buildings that were in his way on fire? But besides this power-mad tyranny, what do we know about Nero? Surely even the most despotic dictator has a good side? Come along with us as we explore the multifaceted nature of a man who is often presented as a one-dimensional, dictatorial caricature. Inside you will read about... - A Wedding and a Funeral - The Great Fire of Rome - Killing His Wife and Marrying His Manservant - The Jewish-Roman War - Nero's Suicide - The Year of the Four Emperors And much more!
The very name seems to embody the character of a tyrant. The years of his reign come down to us with tales full of self-serving totalitarianism. Wasn't he the one that fiddled while Rome burned after all? Wasn't this the mad monarch who wished to embark upon a building project, so he set the old buildings that were in his way on fire? But besides this power-mad tyranny, what do we know about Nero? Surely even the most despotic dictator has a good side? Come along with us as we explore the multifaceted nature of a man who is often presented as a one-dimensional, dictatorial caricature. Inside you will read about... - A Wedding and a Funeral - The Great Fire of Rome - Killing His Wife and Marrying His Manservant - The Jewish-Roman War - Nero's Suicide - The Year of the Four Emperors And much more!
101 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 29, 2018
123 people are currently reading
196 people want to read
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Hourly History
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
January 12, 2025
Nero was born on December 15 37 CE.
Many people of course have heard of Nero. He was the great grandson. of The Roman emperor, Octavian, Augustus.
Nero’s mother, Agrippina, hi great ambitions for her son. She was not shy about mounting campaigns to see them come to fruition.
Methodically, Agrippina set out to get rid of the competition and cast her son Nero as the heir to be the next Roman Emperor.
And so it was that Agrippina’s plans worked out, and Nero became the Roman emperor at age 16.
Can one even begin to imagine? Literally carrying the weight of Rome on your shoulders at just 16?!
Unfortunately, as time went on tensions between Nero and Agrippina sprung up, ending in Agrippina‘s murder by one of Nero’s men, so ordered by Nero himself.
I enjoyed this book into the life of Nero. I didn’t really know much about him. I’ve read a lot on Greek mythology and Egyptian history, but not so much on Rome.
Of course I knew the famous expression, Nero fiddled, while Rome burned. The book does go into that, but there was the implication that Nero might not have been at fault. Nobody really seems to know for sure what really happened.
I found the whole story intriguing. Nero was a great fan of Greece and all its games and customs.
He was also referential toward the arts, unlike any emperor, who came before him. The other Emperor’s were primarily interested in politics and money, but Nero had an artistic streak.
He also seemed to be somewhat beloved among the poor. The people who seemed to despise him the most were the upper echelons.
But he had a devout following among the more working class.
It’s a short book, so it doesn’t go into great detail and in-depth specifics, but it is an excellent introduction into his life, and I learned quite a few details I had not known before.
If you are interested in history, I would recommend this book. It only takes about an hour or two to read and it’s most enlightening. It won’t tell you every specific thing about Nero, but it will tell you a lot..
Many people of course have heard of Nero. He was the great grandson. of The Roman emperor, Octavian, Augustus.
Nero’s mother, Agrippina, hi great ambitions for her son. She was not shy about mounting campaigns to see them come to fruition.
Methodically, Agrippina set out to get rid of the competition and cast her son Nero as the heir to be the next Roman Emperor.
And so it was that Agrippina’s plans worked out, and Nero became the Roman emperor at age 16.
Can one even begin to imagine? Literally carrying the weight of Rome on your shoulders at just 16?!
Unfortunately, as time went on tensions between Nero and Agrippina sprung up, ending in Agrippina‘s murder by one of Nero’s men, so ordered by Nero himself.
I enjoyed this book into the life of Nero. I didn’t really know much about him. I’ve read a lot on Greek mythology and Egyptian history, but not so much on Rome.
Of course I knew the famous expression, Nero fiddled, while Rome burned. The book does go into that, but there was the implication that Nero might not have been at fault. Nobody really seems to know for sure what really happened.
I found the whole story intriguing. Nero was a great fan of Greece and all its games and customs.
He was also referential toward the arts, unlike any emperor, who came before him. The other Emperor’s were primarily interested in politics and money, but Nero had an artistic streak.
He also seemed to be somewhat beloved among the poor. The people who seemed to despise him the most were the upper echelons.
But he had a devout following among the more working class.
It’s a short book, so it doesn’t go into great detail and in-depth specifics, but it is an excellent introduction into his life, and I learned quite a few details I had not known before.
If you are interested in history, I would recommend this book. It only takes about an hour or two to read and it’s most enlightening. It won’t tell you every specific thing about Nero, but it will tell you a lot..
February 13, 2021
NERO WAS A DISGUSTING HORRID EMPEROR because his mother was trashy and raised him while she was busy manipulating everyone around her and constantly creating scandals with dude after dude. Everyone was mad and tried killing each other off to get the throne, and then Nero got it when he didn't want it at all and would rather be starring as the most dramatic actor or putting on chariot races. But his mother was the cause of his own horrible reign and in the end, Nero killed himself because he was obviously such a wreck.
Two stars because the writer helped the story flow along and I did learn a thing or two, like how his mom was just as crazy as he was.
Content:
Nero, his life, and his family
Two stars because the writer helped the story flow along and I did learn a thing or two, like how his mom was just as crazy as he was.
Content:
Nero, his life, and his family
June 9, 2018
ชีวิตของจักรพรรดิองค์นี้โลดโผนยิ่งนัก สนุกสนาน ตื่นเต้น และน่าสลด เป็นตัวอย่างของผู้มีอำนาจที่ไม่รู้จักใช้ในทางที่ถูกที่ควร และการแก่งแย่งแสวงหาอำนาจอิทธิพลที่ผู้นำควรศึกษาไว้เป็นตัวอย่าง เขียนสนุก อ่านง่าย และครบถ้วนดี (มีดราม่าเติมมาให้สนุก ๆ ไปตามเรื่องด้วย)
March 1, 2021
Nero evokes disgust and condemnation from people who have heard about him. Hourly History manages to list out all the dastardly and tyrannical acts committed by emperor. Although it also raises doubts about the whole black and white picture created around Nero.
April 19, 2020
The last "Hourly History" book I read was rather meh. But this one about Nero was good again. Learned a lot, freshened up the memory and overall really enjoyed it!
March 3, 2021
Nero is probably best remembered for the saying Nero fiddled while Rome burned. The book goes into his birth, his relatives and how the wife of the deceased Claudius had an effect on things. Not the smartest thing of hers to do since Nero had a way of dealing with people who caused trouble.
One of the first things to note is that he married his cousin. This was before people knew that marrying a close relative was not the smartest thing to do. Another interesting thing is that he started Olympic-type games with sports, singing and dancing.
The book goes into the great fire of Rome and how much it destroyed. It also notes that he hated Christians. It also seems he wanted to be something like today's rock stars.
It also goes into how he heavily taxed Jews, the growth of the Jewish Zealots and how this led to an attack on Jerusalem The book also goes over how his history was written by people who didn't like him and that is very important. Unless a person himself or herself had written down their own biography, for example, then the only things we have to go on to learn about them are any artifacts they left behind and any writings of other people.
When a person writes about another person, though, the writing is filtered through the mind of the writer and how he or she felt about that person. The writer could have had a positive or a negative bias about the person they were writing about and that becomes what is known about that person which may or may not be accurate.
One of the first things to note is that he married his cousin. This was before people knew that marrying a close relative was not the smartest thing to do. Another interesting thing is that he started Olympic-type games with sports, singing and dancing.
The book goes into the great fire of Rome and how much it destroyed. It also notes that he hated Christians. It also seems he wanted to be something like today's rock stars.
It also goes into how he heavily taxed Jews, the growth of the Jewish Zealots and how this led to an attack on Jerusalem The book also goes over how his history was written by people who didn't like him and that is very important. Unless a person himself or herself had written down their own biography, for example, then the only things we have to go on to learn about them are any artifacts they left behind and any writings of other people.
When a person writes about another person, though, the writing is filtered through the mind of the writer and how he or she felt about that person. The writer could have had a positive or a negative bias about the person they were writing about and that becomes what is known about that person which may or may not be accurate.
May 5, 2023
A few things that stood out:
(1) "Nero fiddles while Rome Burns"
The most famous calumny directed against Nero, probably wasn't true.
(2) Nero had famous Stoic philosopher Seneca killed for plotting against him
This one it seems was true. Surprised me as I didn't realize these two had any connection.
(3) Nero had Apostle Paul killed
This one it seems was false. This surprised me as I am not used to thinking of biblical figures in a historical way interacting with "normal people". This led me down a rabbit hole of realizing there is a lot more independent historical evidence for some biblical events than I had thought.
(4) Suicide was amazingly common in Roman times
I had not realized how common it was for a famous Roman to commit suicide if they suffered military or political defeat or were about to be disgraced. I wonder how they viewed life after death? Very different from us obviously, as in our time hardly anyone commits suicide just out of embarrassment (even if they know they will be charged and might receive the death penalty). Perhaps they had a extremely highly developed sense of honor. Reminds me of Japanese samurai committing seppuku.
Overall, it was an entertaining, informative and quick read but suffers from the same problem as most Hourly History biographies of political figures - insufficient context to really make sense of the history. But that gave me an excuse to spend a couple of hours in Wikipedia reading about Roman history.
(1) "Nero fiddles while Rome Burns"
The most famous calumny directed against Nero, probably wasn't true.
(2) Nero had famous Stoic philosopher Seneca killed for plotting against him
This one it seems was true. Surprised me as I didn't realize these two had any connection.
(3) Nero had Apostle Paul killed
This one it seems was false. This surprised me as I am not used to thinking of biblical figures in a historical way interacting with "normal people". This led me down a rabbit hole of realizing there is a lot more independent historical evidence for some biblical events than I had thought.
(4) Suicide was amazingly common in Roman times
I had not realized how common it was for a famous Roman to commit suicide if they suffered military or political defeat or were about to be disgraced. I wonder how they viewed life after death? Very different from us obviously, as in our time hardly anyone commits suicide just out of embarrassment (even if they know they will be charged and might receive the death penalty). Perhaps they had a extremely highly developed sense of honor. Reminds me of Japanese samurai committing seppuku.
Overall, it was an entertaining, informative and quick read but suffers from the same problem as most Hourly History biographies of political figures - insufficient context to really make sense of the history. But that gave me an excuse to spend a couple of hours in Wikipedia reading about Roman history.
June 12, 2019
What is most admirable about the books brought out by Hourly History is the objectivity. Even for a character like Nero there is not just a categorical condemnation of this Roman Emperor. There is an attempt also to bring about some balance in characterizing Nero.
August 20, 2021
Nero, judged harshly by history.
Hourly history freebie, on fridays hourly history gives out freebies. Suitable for teens and adults. Nero thrived in a kill or be killed political arena. Considered himself to be an uninhibited artist.
Hourly history freebie, on fridays hourly history gives out freebies. Suitable for teens and adults. Nero thrived in a kill or be killed political arena. Considered himself to be an uninhibited artist.
February 9, 2022
Nero has just left the building
Crazy is as crazy does. Don’t know whether to feel sorry or bewildered by Nero. Nobody loves you but your mother except in Nero’s case. Having to constantly look into the shadows for the next assassin hardly makes one stable.
Crazy is as crazy does. Don’t know whether to feel sorry or bewildered by Nero. Nobody loves you but your mother except in Nero’s case. Having to constantly look into the shadows for the next assassin hardly makes one stable.
July 23, 2018
Great for fast info
Great for a very fast read of some historical time. In stead of using internet these books give a bit more information.
Great for a very fast read of some historical time. In stead of using internet these books give a bit more information.
August 19, 2018
Another Hourly History that is well worth the hour - love this series!
October 30, 2018
Brill
Good book was so enjoyable and I liked and love it a lot. A great read and book it was
Good book was so enjoyable and I liked and love it a lot. A great read and book it was
November 18, 2018
Good book.
It is very simple and straight forward presentation in this book makes it to give 5 stars. Simply good book.
It is very simple and straight forward presentation in this book makes it to give 5 stars. Simply good book.
May 22, 2021
Decent biography of the decadent Emperor
Keeping in mind how little of Nero's life was factually documented this is a interesting story of the man and world he occupied
Keeping in mind how little of Nero's life was factually documented this is a interesting story of the man and world he occupied
May 30, 2021
More like a dictator. Horrible person.
April 11, 2022
More details would have been added
Would be happy to have more details about each individual character.feels very raw history.can add some important events to make it interesting
Would be happy to have more details about each individual character.feels very raw history.can add some important events to make it interesting
October 11, 2024
The book is engaging and informative, but, (unfortunately) doesn't include references!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews