Did Nero Really Fiddle While Rome Burned?
Nero was the fifth of the Roman Emperors. He reigned for 14 years, from 54 to 68 A.D., with the official name Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. Although not mentioned specifically by name in the Holy Scriptures (for the 3 Roman Emperors that are, see the Fact Finder question below), from a Christian point of view, he was one of the most barbaric persecutors of the early church. Was Nero Really A “Fiddle” Player? Nero was born at Antium (Anzio), Italy, on December 15 37 A.D. His father was Gnaeus Domitius Anenobarbus, a great-grandson of Caesar Augustus – the Roman emperor at the time of the birth of Jesus Christ (Luke 2:1). Nero’s mother, Agrippina II, was the great-granddaughter of Caesar Augustus, and brother of Caligula, the third Roman emperor. Nero’s father died when he was about 3 years old. After Caligula confiscated their family wealth, he and his mother found themselves quite poor for a time. Things changed dramatically when Agrippina married her uncle, the emperor Cla
