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Nero Goes
Insane
Ancient Rome
Shared by Lin Donn
Illustrated by Phillip Martin
Nero
The Roman Empire lasted for 500 years.
In the 500 years Rome was an
empire, Rome had over 140
different emperors! Emperors
had absolute rule. They
controlled the government, the
military, and the people.
One of the most famous
Roman emperors was Nero.
Nero
At first, the people
thought Nero was
rather fun. He was
always doing crazy
things, like racing at
the Circus Maximus.
But people did not
laugh for long.
Christianity
While Nero was racing, a new
religion sprang up in Rome. It
was called Christianity.
Christians believed in one
god. They refused to
worship the Roman gods.
In Nero’s time, that was
against the law. If you did
not worship Roman gods,
you were a criminal.
Colosseum
Nero told his army to hunt down
Christians!
Once people confessed to
being Christians, they were
brought to the Colosseum,
another big entertainment
center in ancient Rome.
Colosseum
Gladiators! 50,000 Seated Spectators!
This is where the ancient
Romans gathered to watch
bloody combat between
professional fighters called
gladiators.
Colosseum
Free Admission! Wild Animals!
There were also battles
between men and wild animals.
Not everyone liked the bloody
sports, but many did.
Admission was FREE!
Nero
Nero persecuted Christians
Nero ordered Christians
to be thrown to the lions
as part of the
entertainment in the
Colosseum.
Nero
Rome’s leaders
began to suspect their
emperor was going
insane. But they were
afraid to do anything
about it. Nero was a
very powerful
emperor.
Nero
As time went on, Nero’s
behavior became more and
more murderous.
He killed his mother.
He killed his wife.
Nero
One day, Nero ordered some
of the members of the Senate
to kill themselves. That was
when they finally took action.
The Senate ordered Nero’s
immediate execution.
When Nero heard about it,
he killed himself instead.
Question
Why did the
Senate allow
Nero’s murderous
behavior continue
for many years?
Answer
They were afraid.
Nero was the
emperor of Rome.
He could send his
army out to kill
anyone, including
members of the
Senate and their
families.