The name of the ancient Roman emperor Nero has survived to this day and has become a symbol of fear, horror and lawlessness. Although he lived a long time ago, incredible and frightening facts have reached our time that put this historical figure not just outside the law, but outside human morality. The most terrible "horror stories" against the background of this person's real actions will seem like childish babble.
1. Christian torches
The burning of Christians during the feast
Nero was never a progressive leader in politics. After the Great Fire in Rome, when the people began to resent his rule, the emperor used Christians as a "scapegoat", blaming them for the fire. Terrible Christian executions began. Nero gave orders to nail Christians in bunches to the cross and burn them alive. Burning people often became a source of light at the feasts of the emperor. Under the wild cries of the victims, Nero talked sweetly with his guests.
2. "Great" composer
Promotional video:
Theater during the reign of Nero
There is also a well-known story about how Nero played music while Rome was burning. The emperor loved music and theater and performed himself whenever possible. He even locked the theater gates, demanding that people listen carefully to his incredibly long speeches and applaud. Sometimes listeners jumped off the walls or even pretended to be dead just to leave the show.
3. Olympic false champion
Chariot racing
Another hobby of Nero was sports. This emperor still holds the world record for the number of Olympic victories - he got 1,808 Olympic wreaths, the equivalent of gold medals of those years. How did he achieve such amazing results. By deception!
It is known that in one of the chariot races, Nero ordered his competitors to use teams of four horses, and then appeared on a chariot drawn by 10 horses. Despite the huge advantage, Nero, however, never crossed the finish line - he fell from the chariot. But the judges still declared their emperor the winner of the race.
4. Orgy palace with a giant statue
Statue of Nero
One of Nero's major accomplishments was the construction of the Domus Aurea, a golden palace of pleasure the world has never seen before. It was a massive building, inlaid with gold, ivory and mother-of-pearl. This palace was "guarded" by a 37-meter statue of Nero. In the ceiling, sliding panels were provided through which a "rain" of flowers and perfume fell on the guests. This building was used for orgies.
The people in the palace reportedly feasted until they were oversaturated and then had orgies with rose petals falling on them from above. All this decadence could be understood, if not for one thing: Nero built his Ero-palace immediately after the Great Fire in Rome, when people desperately needed help. Domus Aurea was considered a symbol of his selfishness. Soon after the death of Nero, all the gold from the palace was stolen by Roman citizens.
5. Crazy orgies
Orgies of Nero
Stories about the intimate life of Nero are found, perhaps, in every book about Roman history. Tacitus told the story of Nero, who arranged a massive orgy that lasted several days. In the end, Nero he performed a simulated wedding ceremony in which he married a freedman named Pythagoras (this was one of two men whom Nero married throughout his life). According to Suetonius, whenever Nero wanted to let off some steam, he tied naked boys and girls to poles, dressed like an animal, jumped on them and pretended to devour children.
6. Execution of Locusta
Death by intercourse with a giraffe
At the time of Nero, the hired killer Locustus was known, who specialized in poisoning people. According to some accounts, Nero's mother, Agrippina, hired Locusta to poison her husband Claudius, and then her stepson Britannica. Sometime after Nero came to power, Locusta paid for her crimes in a terrible way. On the orders of Nero, she was publicly raped by a "specially trained giraffe", after which the woman was torn apart by wild animals.
7. Crucifixion of the Apostle Peter
Execution of Peter
Nero executed Peter, one of Jesus' disciples. In 64, about 30 years after the death of Jesus, Peter tried to spread Christianity throughout Rome, and in the end was captured by Nero and crucified head down. At the same time, Peter was killed in a circus, which Nero used specifically for public executions of Christians. These murders were such a popular "sport" that the streets near the circus racetrack were filled with tombs full of the bones of the victims.
8. Mother killer
Circus of the time of Nero
In his atrocities, Nero was not limited to just ordinary Roman citizens. He also killed his family, including his own mother, Agrippina the Younger. Historians disagree on how exactly Nero killed her, but there is no doubt that the murder took place on his orders.
According to the historian Dion Cassius, Nero sent his mother away in a specially designed ship. At sea, the floor of her cabin opened as a hatch and Agrippina fell into the sea. But she survived and miraculously swam to the coast, where the killer sent by Nero was waiting for her. When Agrippina saw the killer, she asked him to "cut out her womb, which gave birth to such a disgusting son."
9. Murder of wife and unborn child
Nero on the facade of Certosa
Some historians believe that Nero's decision to kill his mother was influenced by his second wife, Poppea Sabina. Poppaea was an intelligent woman who charmed the emperor by convincing him to get rid of his first wife Octavia, as well as his own mother, so that no one would interfere with Poppae's power. For a while, Nero and Poppaea bathed in family happiness, but this did not last long. Over time, they began to have more and more disagreements.
During one dispute, Nero beat his pregnant wife - threw her to the ground and stabbed her several times in the stomach. Poppaea is dead. The emperor was depressed. A few years later, he found a boy named Sporus, who was very similar to his ex-wife, forcibly castrated, dressed him like Poppeia and publicly married him in front of all of Rome.
10. Nero the Antichrist
… the beast will rule for forty two months
Often Nero is called the "Antichrist", and this is a non-verbal accusation. One theory is that Nero could literally be the anti-hero described in the Bible. First, if you sum up the serial numbers of the letters in the name "Nero Caesar", you get the number "666". In addition, the Book of Revelation says that "the beast will reign for forty-two months" - that is how many Nero ruled after the Great Fire in Rome.