Facts about Nero

1. 12

   Nero appointed his horse Incitatus as a consul and senator, allegedly providing the animal with a marble stable, ivory manger, and a household staff of servants.

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2. 11

   Nero's personal physician Xenophon allegedly poisoned him during his suicide attempt in 68 AD to spare him further suffering as soldiers closed in to execute him.

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3. 10

   Nero's voice was weak and hoarse, leading him to hire a cheerleader section of 5,000 organized supporters called the Augustiani to cheer loudly during his public performances to mask his vocal deficiencies.

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4. 09

   Nero's suicide in 68 AD at age 30 was reportedly assisted by his secretary Epaphroditus, who helped him stab himself after the Senate declared him a public enemy and condemned him to execution.

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5. 08

   Archaeological evidence suggests Nero spent approximately 1.3 million gold aurei annually on his personal expenses, equivalent to roughly 5 percent of Rome's entire state budget during the 60s AD.

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6. 07

   Nero's mother Agrippina was executed by her son in 59 AD after she threatened to support his rival stepbrother, with the Emperor ordering soldiers to stab her repeatedly when initial poisoning and a collapsing boat failed to kill her.

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7. 06

   Suetonius documented that Nero castrated a young man named Sporus and married him in a formal ceremony around 67 AD, treating him as his wife in public.

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8. 05

   Nero's obsession with performing led him to compete in Olympic Games in 67 AD, where judges awarded him victory in the chariot race despite his team crashing and him falling out of the vehicle.

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9. 04

   At age 16, Nero became Roman Emperor in 54 AD after his adoptive father Claudius died, likely poisoned by his mother Agrippina.

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10. 03

    The Golden House of Nero, his sprawling palace complex built after the Great Fire, occupied approximately 300 acres of central Rome with 140 rooms and included a 120-foot bronze statue of himself.

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11. 02

    During his 14-year reign, Nero executed approximately 300 senators and 4,000 knights, systematically eliminating potential rivals to consolidate absolute power.

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12. 01

    In 64 AD, Emperor Nero allegedly fiddled while Rome burned in a massive fire that destroyed approximately 70 percent of the city.

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