Nero Caesar Augustus: Emperor of Rome [Hardcover]

David Shotter (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 15, 2008

This engaging new biography seeks to dispell some of the myths that have made the emperor Nero the infamous figure he represents today.

• Gives the most balanced introduction available to this endlessly fascinating figure.
• An unbiased account of Nero’s reign – from its optimistic beginnings to its infamous end.
• Examines the effect of the emperor’s personal life on his government, and how his fear of potential rivals drove a wedge between him and Rome’s senators.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

"A leading authority on imperial Rome and the historical work of Tacitus, as well as being an expert on coins, David Shotter has a distinguished record of publications on the Julio-Claudians. His new biography of the ever-fascinating Nero is up to date on the latest scholarship, extremely readable, and attractively illustrated."

Anthony Birley, author of Hadrian: the Restless Emperor (1997), Marcus Aurelius (2nd ed. 1987) and The African Emperor Septimius Severus (2nd ed. 1988).

 

 

We all think we know Nero – murderer of his brother, his mother and his pregnant wife, the Emperor who believed himself a god, fiddled while Rome burned and threw his Christian subjects to the lions.

 

But has history got it right?

 

The Emperor Nero is one of the most notorious figures in Roman history.  His fourteen year reign was marked by paranoia, murder and persecution.  He has remained ever since a benchmark for tyranny in the popular imagination.

 

Yet, as this fascinating study shows, his reign began with high hopes.  He was young, attractive, a refreshing change from his stepfather, Claudius. He was also, however, wholly inadequate to the task of ruling Rome on his own.  His addiction to popular approval and fear of potential rivals drove a wedge between him and Rome’s senators.  The quality of his government deteriorated and he retreated more and more into his own cultural and artistic interests.  Self-indulgent and paranoid to the point of criminality, he created a vicious circle which detached him from his subjects and encouraged the very conspiracies he feared.

 

Terrible crimes, obsessive self-indulgence, big-hearted generosity, erratic judgements  – David Shotter’s account reveals the many contradictory faces of Nero and gives the most balanced introduction currently available for students and general readers alike of this endlessly fascinating figure.

About the Author

David Shotter taught for forty years on Roman imperial history. He has written many books and articles and is regularly invited to speak at archaeological conferences

A Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, he is also a Trustee of the Roman Site at Vindolanda and is currently President of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society.

 

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Longman; 1 edition (September 15, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1405824573
• ISBN-13: 978-1405824576
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,220,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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