Emperor Nero, a figure shrouded in infamy, often evokes images of decadence and tyranny. While some stories, like the one of him fiddling while Rome burned, may be exaggerated, many other accounts of his life reveal a truly shocking and disturbing reality. Let’s delve into ten tales about Nero that are more shocking than fiction.
10. Burning Christians as Living Torches
Following the Great Fire of Rome, Nero deflected blame by scapegoating the Christians. He accused them of starting the fire and subjected them to horrific punishments. Christians were not only slaughtered en masse, but they were also used as human torches during Nero’s lavish parties. Nailed to crosses, they were burned alive to provide light, their screams filling the night as Nero casually conversed with his guests.
9. Forcing Audiences to Endure His Performances
Nero possessed a deep passion for the arts, particularly music and theater. However, his passion turned into tyranny when he forced people to attend his performances. He would lock the theater gates, compelling his audience to listen to his long, often tedious, performances. Desperate attendees would resort to extreme measures, even feigning death, to escape. Some accounts suggest that one performance was so lengthy that a woman gave birth during the show.
8. Rigging the Olympic Games
Nero’s ambition extended to the athletic arena. He participated in the Olympic Games, claiming a record-breaking 1,808 victories. However, his wins were often the result of blatant cheating. In one instance, he allegedly forced his competitors to use four-horse chariots while he himself used a ten-horse team. Despite this advantage, he fell during the race but was still declared the winner by the judges.
7. The Extravagant Orgy Palace
Nero constructed the Domus Aurea, a lavish palace adorned with gold, ivory, and mother-of-pearl. A colossal statue of himself guarded this pleasure palace. The palace featured ceilings that rained flowers and perfume upon guests, and it was primarily used for orgies. Amidst the decadence, attendees would gorge themselves and engage in mass sex parties while rose petals cascaded from above. This extravagance occurred shortly after the Great Fire of Rome, drawing criticism from the public who were in dire need of assistance.
8. His Insane Sex Life
Nero’s sex life was notorious for its bizarre nature, even by Roman Emperor standards. He hosted orgies that lasted for days and engaged in mock wedding ceremonies with his male freedmen. In one instance, Nero married a freedman named Pythagoras. Suetonius also noted that Nero would tie naked boys and girls to stakes, dress up as an animal, and then pretend to attack them.
5. The Giraffe Execution
Locusta, a famous assassin known for her poison skills, was employed by Nero’s mother to kill her husband Claudius and stepson Britannicus. When Nero came to power, he sentenced Locusta to a gruesome death. According to some accounts, she was publicly raped by a “specially trained giraffe” before being torn apart by wild animals.
4. The Crucifixion of Saint Peter
Nero’s persecution of Christians extended to the execution of prominent figures like Saint Peter, one of Jesus’s disciples. Peter, who was spreading Christianity in Rome, was captured and crucified, reportedly upside down. This execution took place in a circus that Nero used for the public execution of Christians, turning their deaths into a spectator sport.
3. Matricide: The Murder of His Own Mother
Nero’s cruelty knew no bounds, even extending to his own family. He is believed to have murdered his mother, Agrippina the Younger. Various accounts detail how Nero orchestrated her death, including a plot involving a ship designed to sink. When Agrippina survived the sinking, Nero sent an assassin to finish the job. Agrippina’s last words were reportedly, “Smite my womb,” lamenting that she had given birth to such a terrible son.
2. Kicking His Pregnant Wife to Death
Nero’s relationship with his second wife, Poppaea Sabina, was turbulent. During one argument, Nero physically assaulted her, kicking her in the stomach while she was pregnant. Some accounts suggest he jumped on her womb until she died. Later, filled with regret, Nero found a young boy named Sporus who resembled Poppaea. He castrated Sporus, dressed him in his dead wife’s clothes, and married him in front of Rome.
1. Nero as the Antichrist?
Some theories suggest that Nero could literally be the Antichrist described in the Bible. The number 666, often associated with the beast, can be derived from the Hebrew letters in “Nero Caesar.” Additionally, the Book of Revelation mentions that the beast will rule for “forty and two months,” which aligns with the length of Nero’s reign after the Great Fire of Rome.
Nero’s reign was marked by shocking acts of cruelty, extravagance, and tyranny. These ten tales, while disturbing, provide a glimpse into the dark and complex character of one of history’s most infamous emperors.
What do you think about Nero? Do these stories change your perception of him? Leave your comment below!
