1. Rome Under Nero
54 – 68 AD

2. In his first few years of rule he was considered a good and generous ruler. He…
Eliminated capital punishment
Lowered taxes
Granted slaves certain freedoms they had never before had

3. The Great Fire of Rome
Nero was rumored to have played his lyre while Rome burned
He built new palace on majority of burnt land
Blamed the Christians for the fire and executed them in brutal ways
Burnt 10 of the 14 regions of Rome.

4. Religion
About a generation after the death of Christ, Christianity has reached Rome as sort of an obscure offshoot of Judaism.
Christianity was popular amongst the poor and destitute.
Nero blamed the Great Fire of Rome on Christians to deflect the accusations off of himself.
Infamous for brutally torturing Christians.
Majority of Rome still worshipped the Roman gods (Jupiter, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Neptune, etc. Those people.)
There was also a Jewish population

5. Social Organization Status of Women…
Expected to have pielas, A combination of duty, devotion, and loyalty to their husbands and the nation.
Exercised political power
Almost equal to men (Couldn’t buy a slave without husbands approval. Couldn’t be in office.)
Slavery…
Was pretty generous with freedoms slaves could have considering the time period.

6. Arts and Entertainment
Emphasized the arts and athletics
He liked to sing and dance and played multiple instruments.
Circuses, theatre competitions, poetry competitions.
Public athletic games every 5 years in Rome
Tons of money was spend on artistic pursuits suited for his own enjoyment.
Christians were rubbed in pitch, placed on pikes and burned as light for his parties.

7. Literature Lucian- Pharasalia (10 books on the Caesarian civil war)
Seneca- Roman Tragedies. (Roman- Troades, Medea, Phaedra. Greek- Odepius, Phoenissae)
Pliny the Elder- Natualis Historia
Taticus the Historian- Recorded the Great Fire of Rome

8. Economics Denarius = currency/coin
Economic downfall caused Nero to have to devalue the denarius by decreasing the silver content
He made economic decisions based on what would please the people.
attempted to promote free trade
By final years of Nero’s rule, Roman Empire under great economic strain because of his decisions.
Tons of money was spent on artistic pursuits

9. Political
In the beginning of his reign, Nero was known for his political generosity.
Nero criticized with being obsessed with personal popularity. He tended to make rulings that pleased the lower class.
Shared power between Senate and Nero
Seneca the philosopher, Perfect Praetorian Guard Burrus, and Agrippina
Pisonian Conspiracy
Vacationed to Greece
Governor Galba

10. Downfall…
About halfway through Nero’s reign everything began to go downhill
Lavish self-indulgence and tyranny
Spend crazy amounts of money on artistic pursuits
Built super expensive and unnecessary palace
Assassination (Pisonian Conspiracy -65) was planned but discovered by Nero and assassins were executed
Everyone turned against Nero and he panicked, fled, and killed himself.

11. Last Words – “What an artist the world loses in me”
His empire ended when he was declared by the Senate a “public enemy” and he fled and committed suicide in June of 68. Disputes over his succession led to civil wars in Rome.
Last Words – “What an artist the world loses in me”

12. Sources
Ancient Rome and Religion - History Learning Site. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2015, from
Armstrong Economics. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2015, from emperor/imperial-rome-julio-claudian-age/nero ad
Nero. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2015, from
Nero. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2015, from
Nero Biography. (n.d.). Retrieved September 16, 2015, from #political-demise-and-death