The reign of Nero is often judged to be the embodiment of the extravagance and the corruption that have, for many, come to symbolise ancient Rome. David Shotter provides a reassessment of this view in this accessible introduction to Nero, emperor of Rome from 54 to 68 AD. All the major issues are discussed including:

* Nero's early life and accession to power
* Nero's perception of himself
* Nero's domestic and international policies
* the reasons for Nero's fall from power and its aftermath.

This new edition has been revised throughout to take account of recent research in the field.