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Nero: the man behind the myth by Thorsten Opper: New

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Item specifics

Condition
Brand New: A new, unread, unused book in perfect condition with no missing or damaged pages. See all condition definitionsopens in a new window or tab
Publication Date
2021-08-12
ISBN
9780714122915
Book Title
Nero : the Man Behind the Myth
Item Length
11 in
Publisher
British Museum Press
Publication Year
2021
Format
Trade Paperback
Language
English
Illustrator
Yes
Item Height
1.1 in
Author
Thorsten Opper
Genre
History
Topic
Europe / Italy, Ancient / Rome
Item Width
10.1 in
Item Weight
10.6 Oz
Number of Pages
304 Pages

About this product

Product Information

One of the best known and simultaneously most notorious figures from Roman history, Nero (r. AD 54-68) is usually characterised as a tyrannical and ineffectual emperor, a ruler who proverbially 'fiddled while Rome burnt'. However, as new research demonstrates, this reputation is crudely reductive and was carefully crafted in antiquity by hostile elite authors, who envisioned a different form of rule more mindful of the demands of their own social and political class.This publication redresses the balance and provides a more nuanced interpretation of Nero's reign and Roman society of the time, reflecting on the traditional perceptions of his rule and revealing the substantial external and internal challenges with which the sixteen-year-old heir to the Roman empire had to contend.Nero's rule fell in an extended period of transition and profound social and economic change. The empire had grown rapidly during previous centuries, and an astonishing era of peace and prosperity followed the introduction of one-man rule after decades of bloody civil war under Nero's great-great-grandfather Augustus. However, political institutions and elite mindsets were slow to adjust to the resulting rise of former outsiders, people from the provinces and freed slaves.The book considers in detail the resulting tensions and the challenging role of Nero's family within them. Powerful individuals, among them many women, including Nero's mother Agrippina, and his tutor and advisor Seneca, come to life against the backdrop of these times, when different court factions thought to manipulate the young ruler. At the same time, intriguing evidence - doodles and graffiti - from Rome, Pompeii and other Vesuvian cities gives voice to often very different attitudes of common people, completely ignored by the ancient literary sources.In addition to these internal challenges, Nero inherited a great conflict with the rival power of the Parthians and unrest in unsettled newly conquered territories, including Britain. The book examines his military and diplomatic response and the powerful visual language - often disregarded - that presented him as a successful young military leader throughout the empire. Administrative and tax reforms culminated in 'populist' policies that also saw him embrace enthusiastically the possibilities offered through public entertainments (the circus, arena and theater) to communicate directly with his subjects and project a more direct, charismatic form of rule. Yet his grand building projects and the beautification of his capital were offset by severe natural disasters and a devastating fire of Rome.Popular with the common people to the very end, Nero could not reconcile the internal contradictions of the principate, the political system introduced by Augustus. Hostile segments of the elite were behind military rebellions in AD 68 that quickly drove Nero from power. His enforced suicide brought to an end the rule of Rome's first imperial dynasty, the Julio-Claudians. The subsequent vilification of his memory and the removal and desecration of his image are an enduring, but misleading, legacy that leave a fascinating reign to be explored anew.

Product Identifiers

Publisher
British Museum Press
ISBN-10
0714122912
ISBN-13
9780714122915
eBay Product ID (ePID)
25050062706

Product Key Features

Book Title
Nero : the Man Behind the Myth
Author
Thorsten Opper
Format
Trade Paperback
Language
English
Topic
Europe / Italy, Ancient / Rome
Publication Year
2021
Illustrator
Yes
Genre
History
Number of Pages
304 Pages

Dimensions

Item Length
11 in
Item Height
1.1 in
Item Width
10.1 in
Item Weight
10.6 Oz

Additional Product Features

Lc Classification Number
Dg285
Reviews
Roman historians of the first and second centuries CE, chiefly aristocrats, considered Nero (r. 54-68 CE) the last of the Julio-Claudians (27 BCE-68 CE) and a monster responsible for the great fire that destroyed much of Rome and for undermining the economy with lavish expenditures on his palace, the Golden House. Modern scholars have tended to accept this assessment, depicting Nero as a megalomaniac and an incompetent who brought the empire to the brink. Relying largely on contemporary artifacts such as frescoes, statues, military equipment, papyri, medallions, and coins, Opper (British Museum) instead argues that Nero ruled effectively and relatively humanely. Nero partially succeeded in integrating the provinces into the empire and incorporating a large, talented freedmen element into society. Further, his economic policies stimulated the economy, and his cultural interest was similar to the great emperors of the next century. Nero's effectiveness is reflected in his popularity after his death. Despite executing many senators, he failed to liquidate the seditious elements within the aristocracy, which had compromised four preceding emperors. In view of Nero's murdering his mother, this persuasive rehabilitation is only partially successful. This erudite, well-written work has 225 excellent illustrations.Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty.
Table of Content
Introduction - approaches to Nero; the source tradition1. Nero and the family of Augustus - Augustus and the system of the principate; Julio-Claudian society; Nero's family2. Power and succession - Nero's accession; expectations of the new reign; poetry and imagery3. Conflict and reform - Nero and the military; external conflicts; the Armenian War; Britain and the Boudicca rebellion4. Spectacle and splendor - Nero's reforms and major projects; public entertainment; Nero on stage5. Passion and discord - the imperial family; Nero's wives and daughter6. Fire - the great fire of Rome of AD 647. The new Apollo - Nero's palaces and the Domus Aurea; luxury and elite society; diplomacy and triumph8. Crisis and death - internal conflict and elite resistance; rebellion; Nero's death; civil war; 'False Neros' and Nero's enduring popularityBibliographyCreditsIndex
Target Audience
Trade
Dewey Decimal
937.07092
Dewey Edition
23

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