Nero: the benefits

1
Nero the benefits

• Dr David W.J. Gill

University of Wales Swansea
2
Introduction

• Restrain excesses
• Links with the Senate
• Domestic policy
• Foreign policy

3
The quinquennium

• A golden age for the first five years
• Trajan perceived it as a golden age of good
  government (Aur. Victor, Epitome 5)

4
Neros first speech to the Senate

• Suetonius, Nero 10
• to rule according to Augustan precedent
• Tacitus, Ann. 13.4
• renunciation of the abuses of the Claudian regime
• From my house, bribery and favouritism will be
  excluded
• these promises were implemented

5
Accession speech

• Italy and the public provinces could apply to
  the tribunals of the consuls, who would give
  access to the senate
• this led to
• e.g. 58 people and council of Puteoli making
  mutual accusations
• Syracuse increase the pairs of gladiators in
  their games
• 59 riot between Nuceria and Pompeii

6
Nero and the senate

• appearance of ex s c on coinage (in accordance
  with senatorial decree)
• for first ten years

7
Aspects of the Golden Age

• Nero refused portrait statues of himself (Tac.
  Ann. 13)
• Allowed his co-consul not to swear an oath of
  allegiance to him as emperor
• praised by the Senate (Tac. Ann. 13)
• Noted for clemency

8
Nero and popular support

• provided entertainment Suet. Ner. 11.
• fair judge Suet. Ner. 15
• limits on private expenditure Suet. Ner. 16
• sumptuary law
• checks on forgery Suet. Ner. 16
• some governors charged with corruption
• outlawed illegal taxes invented by publicani
  (Tac. Ann. 13.51)

9
Food supply

• series of food shortages at Rome
• AD 51 bad harvest and subsequent food crisis
• Claudius pelted in the forum
• AD 62 old grain disposed off at Rome (Tac. Ann.
  15.18)
• price of grain not raised
• 200 grain ships lost at Ostia due to storm
• 100 grain ships lost at Rome due to a fire

10
Further food shortages

• AD 64 Great Fire at Rome
• city left without grain stocks
• essential food brought up from Ostia
• Nero imposed a maximum price of 3 HS / modius
• governor of Moesia (Lower Danube)
• the first who brought relief to the food supply
  of the Roman people by sending a great quantity
  of wheat from that province

11
Faenius Rufus

• appointed prefect of the grain supply AD 5562
• according to Tacitus (Ann. 14.51) he did not
  profit from the post in the usual way
• e.g. withhold grain to push up prices

12
Harbour facilities

• Nero completed Claudius plans for the harbour at
  Ostia
• secured corn supply
• coins issued with new harbour
• the Emperors Ostia harbour
• harbours and jetties

13
Coin issues

• theme of Ceres and Annona
• Annona as personification of the corn supply

14
Generosity to the plebs

• coins showing the congiarium
• distributions to the plebs
• Minerva and her owl
• Liberalitas holding tray
• Nero handing coins to a man and small child
• Suet. Nero. 10
• he presented the plebs with 40 gold pieces each

15
Fair judge

• Suet. Ner. 10
• never missed an opportunity of being generous or
  merciful, or of showing what a good companion he
  was
• Suet. Ner. 15
• When he judged a case he preferred to defer his
  judgement until the following day, and then give
  it in writing ...
• he mulled over documents in private, and
  came to his own conclusion ...

16
Reduction of taxes

• Suet. Ner. 10
• he lowered, if he could not abolish, some of the
  heavier taxes and reduced by three-quarters the
  fee for denouncing evasions of the Papian Law,
  which obliged noblemen to marry

17
Ending administrative abuses in Egypt

• Edict of 68 Ti. Julius Alexander LR ii.29598
• reaction to requirements under Nero

18
Building projects

• new style of architecture introduced Suet. Ner.
  16
• considered extending the city wall to Ostia
  Suet. Ner. 16
• considered building a canal to Rome Suet. Ner. 16

19
Trouble in Armenia

• Tacitus, Ann. 13
• Parthians plundering
• people wondered if Nero would react
• Nero mobilised troops
• Client kings (Agrippa II Antiochus Epiphanes IV
  of Commagene) urged to raise armies
• Parthians evacuated Armenia

20
Securing Armenia

• Cn. Domitius Corbulo secured Armenia
• appointment on merit
• Hostages handed over

21
Further war with Armenia

• Tac. Ann. 13.34
• Corbulo encouraging troops

22
Crowning of Tiridates

• Cassius Dio 63.1.25.4 LR ii.3435

23
Expansion of empire

• Suet. Ner. 18
• Nero probably felt no ambition to extend the
  Roman Empire
• considered withdrawal from Britain
• addition
• kingdom of Pontus, ceded to him by Polemon
• Cottian Alps reverted to Rome