Emperor Nero
When he was only 17 years old, Nero became the Roman Emperor, the last in the Julio-Claudian dynasty. In his fifth year as emperor, he had his mother killed, and soon, he started becoming more active in politics. However, he was also known for making public appearances as an actor, charioteer, poet, and musician, which many believed undermined his authority. The middle and upper classes detested him after he raised taxes in order to fund extravagant private and public works for his empire. Modern technology enabled artists to find out what the emperor really looked like.
Emperor Nero
What Nero Really Looked Like
In 2019, Spanish artists made a lifelike rendering of the Roman Emperor based on descriptions, drawings, and busts of Nero. They got Nero’s attributes perfectly, including his chinstrap and arrogant smirk. In 64 A.D. there was a fire that consumed Rome, but Nero dressed up and sang on the roof of the palace. Before others could execute him, Nero killed himself saying, “What an artist dies in me!”
What Nero Really Looked Like
