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Nero the mythomaniac?

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The Roman emperor Nero was massive enthusiast for the arts, keen on innovative architecture, on writing poetry, and even on performing in public as a singer and actor, taking on the role of mythical heroes – and heroines.  When Rome itself was being consumed in a terrible fire (for which some held Nero responsible), Nero’s response was once again to turn to myth – he was moved to sing of the fall of Troy, point of origin of Rome’s mythical founder, Aeneas.

The British Museum’s 2021 exhibition ‘Nero: the man behind the myth’ invites us to think further about this most notorious of Roman emperors. In her talk, Professor Catharine Edwards (a specialist in the culture of Nero’s Rome) will focus on Nero’s passion for myth and how that passion fed into the myth of Nero.

The event is free but you need to book so we can send you information on how to join. 

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This event is part of the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology's Discover the Past events series, open to the public and students. To see the full list of events, visit the Discover the Past web page.

The Department of History, Classics and Archaeology at Birkbeck has a distinguished tradition as an international centre of excellence. We are the only university department in London to include archaeologists, classicists and historians investigating every period from prehistory to the early twenty-first century. Join us to discover the past and engage with the present across continents and cultures.

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