Nero

Nero: emperor of the Roman world (r. 54-68).

Names:

15 December 37: Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus
25 February 50: Nero Claudius Caesar Drusus Germanicus
13 October 54: Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus
September (?) 66: Imperator Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus
9 June 68: suicide

Successor of: Claudius

Relatives

father: Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus
mother: Agrippina Minor
married to: Octavia (daughter of Claudius); Poppaea Sabina; Statilia Messalina
Child: Claudia (died as a baby)

Early career

37 Born in Antium
39-41 Exile of his mother
49 Engagement to Octavia
50 Adopted by Claudius
51 Proconsular powers
52 Prefect of the Latin Games
53 Marriage to Octavia

Main deeds

Nero and Agrippina Minor (Aphrodisias, Sebasteion)

54 Succeeds Claudius; Claudius deified
55 Consul I (with Lucius Antistius Vetus); Britannicus poisoned; pontifex maximus
56 Reorganization of the aerarium
57 Consul II (with Lucius Calpurnius Piso)
58 Consul III (with Marcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus); Tiridates attacked by Corbulo; Corbulo takes Artaxata
59 Assassination of Agrippina the Younger; fall of Tigranocerta
60 Consul IV (with Cossus Cornelius Lentulus); the Neroniana celebrated; Tigranes made king of Armenia; Corbulo made governor of Syria
61 Revolt of Boudicca; tensions with the Parthian Empire
62 Death of Burrus, the praetorian prefect; he is succeeded by Faenius Rufus and Tigellinus; fall of Seneca; Nero divorces Octavia and marries Poppaea (who divorces Marcus Salvius Otho); Roman defeat at Rhandeia; exploratory mission to Nubia
63 Earthquake in Campania
64 Fire in Rome; execution of Christians (text); debasement of the denarius
65 The Neroniana celebrated again; conspiracy of Piso; suicides of Lucan and Seneca; Faenius Rufus replaced by Nymphidius as praetorian prefect; death of Poppaea
66 Marriage to Statilia Messalina; Tiridates in Rome; Gate of Janus closed; Jewish revolt; Nero crosses to Greece; conspiracy of Vinicius; suicide of Petronius Arbiter
67 Nero in Greece; starts the work on a canal at Corinth; suicide of Corbulo; Vespasian sent to Judaea
68 Consul V (without colleague); return to Rome; revolt of Julius Vindex suppressed by Verginius Rufus; recolt of Lucius Clodius Macer; revolt of Galba; suicide
Damnatio memoriae

Rome, Forum Romanum, Temple of Janus, Coin — Closed gate of Janus

New legions: I Italica; I Adiutrix

Buildings (Rome)

Temple of Claudius
Horrea Galbana (dedicated by Galba)
Baths of Nero
Domus Transitoria
Golden House (Domus Aurea)
Colossus
Bridge of Nero

Buildings (not in Rome)

Pont du Gard

Contemporary events

54 Seneca's Apocolocyntosis
55 Seneca's De clementia
56 Paul's Epistle to the Philippians
57 Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians, Epistle to the Galatians, Second Epistle to the Corinthians
58 Paul's Epistle to the Romans; Paul captured
59 Paul pleads his case before Agrippa
60 Paul meets Festus; death of Domitius Afer and Geminus of Rhodes (?)
61 Paul in Rome
62 Death of Persius and James the Just

Succeeded by: Galba

Relatives

Early career

Main deeds

Buildings (Rome)

Buildings (not in Rome)

Contemporary events

Links