This book does not whitewash Nero, but it aims to show that he was more of a liberator than an oppressor, that he contrived to rule in peace rather than in the militaristic way of his predecessors, and that he was both enlightened and civilized, a man who enjoyed poetry, music, philosophy and the theatre, as well as erotic delights. Cheered for his performances with the lyre by thousands of screaming followers, his patronage of the arts also left the legacy of the Golden Palace with its rich gold decoration and murals later copied by Raphael and other Renaissance artists in the Vatican. Through social, cultural and archæological evidence, here we encounter Nero imaginatively as a man, not as a monster. [Book jacket].

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