Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire

Episode 1

Nero

59 mins

In July AD 64 a fire, which lasts for six days, destroys almost all of Rome. Many of the senators think it would be impossible to rebuild the city, and suggest that the capital should be moved to Naples or Capua. Nero is irresolute and asks his mentor, the philosopher Seneca, about his advice. Seneca says that in a crisis great emperors rule as gods rule, and if Nero does that he can become a god himself. Nero decides to rebuild Rome and at the same time make the city more magnificent than ever before. He has a great vision of a city characterized by art and beauty, but the costs of such a project are enormous. Tigellinus, head of Rome's security force, advises Nero to robe the temples. For most Romans this is a shocking sacrilege, and when Nero starts it he gets into a collision course with the senate. In April AD 65 a group of senators plan to murder Nero, but a slave reveals the conspiracy, and all of them are killed. In one move all political opposition are wiped out, and Nero decides to celebrate this with the biggest arts' festival in Roman history, with himself topping the bill. When Nero performs in public as an actor he breaks another rule for how emperors should behave, but no one dares to criticize him. Afterwards Nero's wife Poppea happens to mention that he dropped the scepter during his performance. Nero gets furious and kills her. In AD 66 he moves his court to Greece, where he orders a young male slave to be castrated and transformed into a woman, thus becoming Nero's new Poppea. To get more money for his building program Nero forces the richest men in the empire to commit suicide and leave their wealth to him. In December AD 67 the governors of Gaul and Spain rebel against Nero. He returns to Rome, where he states that he's going to meet the enemy with an army of prostitutes and himself singing in front of them. In spring AD 68 the senate declares Nero an official enemy of the state and condemns him to death. 9th June AD 68 Nero commits suicide.