Person
Nero
History & Civilizations
Society & PoliticsWho is Nero in the Agency editorial?
Nero was a Roman emperor of the first century, the last of the Julio-Claudian dynasty. In the Agency editorial he is named twice, each time in one sentence: Issue.7 says that even he held Athens in high regard, and Issue.27 gives him as an example of an incompetent heir when the throne passed by blood.
In short
Nero, Roman emperor from 54 to 68, is named in two issues of the Agency editorial, in one sentence each. In Issue.7, in the passage about how the intellectual eminence of Athens won over its conquerors, the author writes that it is said that Nero, described there as notorious for his brutality and for ordering the burning of Rome, held the city in high regard. In Issue.27, on the Roman Empire, the name appears in the body of the text, in the list of ways power passed on: under dynastic succession the soldiers were loyal to the family name, but that did nothing to stop incompetent heirs like Nero. Neither issue tells the story of his reign.
Key facts
- What does Issue.7 say about Nero?
- That, according to what is said, he held Athens in high regard. The issue describes him in the same sentence as notorious for his brutality and for ordering the burning of Rome.
- What does Issue.27 say about Nero?
- It names him as an example of an incompetent heir. The sentence is in the item on dynasty, one of the three forms of succession the issue lists, whose weakness is given as no filter for ability.
- Is Nero in the notes or bibliography of Issue.27?
- No. The name occurs once, in the body of the issue, in the section on how power passed from one emperor to the next.
Who is Nero?
Nero was Roman emperor from 54 to 68, the last ruler of the Julio-Claudian dynasty, the family line that began with Augustus. These facts come from outside the editions and are marked for verification.
How does Nero appear in the Agency editorial?
Issue.7 recounts the Golden Age of Athens and the respect the city kept long after its political and military systems fell. To show how far that respect went, the author writes that even the newly arrived conquerors succumbed to it, and that it is said that Nero held the city in high regard. The description of him as brutal and as the one who ordered the burning of Rome is the wording of the issue.
Issue.27 explains how the Roman Empire worked. In the part on succession it lists adoption, dynasty and usurpation, with a strength and a weakness for each. Under dynasty the throne passed by blood, which gave stability and loyalty, but the issue notes that this did nothing to stop incompetent heirs like Nero. It is a passing example and the issue does not develop it.
Source editions
Where this entry comes from in the Agency editorial.