Nero

37 – 68 · died at about 31^[1][2]

Politics & Leadership

Fun Facts About Nero

• Nero won a 10-horse chariot race at the Olympics of AD 67 even though he was thrown from his chariot and left the race. He was crowned because he would have won had he finished.^[1]
• The legend that Nero played the lyre while Rome burned is at least partly Flavian propaganda. Tacitus found Nero was in Antium when the fire began and returned to organize relief.^[1]
• Nero funded a lavish expedition to Africa in AD 66 to find buried gold supposedly left by the legendary queen Dido. No gold was ever found.^[1]
• Preparing for his end, Nero paced up and down muttering "Qualis artifex pereo," meaning "What an artist the world is losing."^[1]
• After Nero's death, many believed he would return. At least three Nero impostors led rebellions, and the legend of his return lasted for hundreds of years.^[1]
• Some modern biblical scholars contend that the number of the beast in the Book of Revelation is a code for Nero.^[1]
• Nero was alive at the same time as Paul the Apostle — their lives overlapped for about 28 years (37–c. 65).^[1][2][3][4]
• Nero lived to about 31, from 37 until 68.^[1][2]

Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his suicide in AD 68.^[1]

Contemporaries

Paul the Apostle

28 yr overlap

Boudicca

24 yr overlap

Questions About Nero

When was Nero born?

Nero was born in 37 and died in 68.

How old was Nero at death?

Nero died in 68 at about 31 years old (37–68).

What was Nero known for?

Nero was known for: Roman emperor during the Great Fire of Rome. Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was a Roman emperor and the final emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, reigning from AD 54 until his suicide in AD 68.

Who was alive at the same time as Nero?

Nero's closest contemporary was Paul the Apostle. Their lives overlapped for 28 years.