The reign of Nero is often judged to be the embodiment of the extravagance and the corruption that have, for many, come to symbolise ancient Rome. David Shotter provides a reassessment of this view in this accessible introduction to Nero, emperor of Rome from 54 to 68 AD. All the major issues are discussed including:

? Nero?s early life and accession to power

? Nero?s perception of himself

? Nero?s domestic and international policies

? the reasons for Nero?s fall from power and its aftermath.

This new edition has been revised throughout to take account of recent research in the field.