What are the good and bad things Nero did?

Answer 1

That is a hard question. Although Nero did many atrocious acts (killed his wife and mother), they may have been because he was insane. Historians and scientists now suspect that the lead which plated the aqueuducts caused Nero to become, what we'd refer to now, "clinically insane".

Saying this, Nero did do some good things. According to Suetonius, Nero he was a lenient ruler who allowed freedom of speech, restored some of the traditional Roman values, such as frugality, and rebuilt many roman houses to become more fire-proof (Suetonius 1914: 110,111, 159).

Ancient sources such as Suetonius, Tacitus and Cassius Dio wrote that Nero set Rome alight for 6 days, which caused (aprox) 9 out of 11 sections of Rome to recieve extensive damage. However, there is no archealogical evidence to support this. Besides, what the evidence does show is that Rome could have very easily burnt. Many of thier building supplies were highly flammable.

After The Great Fire of Rome, it has been recorded that Nero rebuilt Rome to be much awesomer than it was before. Unfortunatly, he used a large portion of land to build a massive castle for him to live in, which caused the rumour that he hated Rome and burnt it down so he could create his awesome mansion. Saying this, He then blamed the Christians, and persecuted them. According to Tacitus, he would set light to the Christians and use them as torches during garden parties.

That is the information, use it to make your own decision. Suetonius, Tacitus, Cassius Dio and a few other ancient sources wrote about Nero. Be careful to check there reliability (eg. Bias, experience in writing, understanding of politics/topic of discussion).

Answer 2

Emperor Nero was not a good emperor because he started the great fire of Rome. He also watched the fire whilst putting on an actors costume and singing at the same time. He started the fire because he was disgusted with the narrow roads and old buildings. There are a few good things that Nero has suggested and made changes to, and i am now trying to find out what these suggestions are.

Answer 3

No. He killed his mother, allegedly burnt down Rome, confiscated the burnt out lots to build himself a palace, forced people to watch while he acted out plays and read poetry... on pain of death, and caused numerous revolts; notably the first Jewish War and the Revolt of Vindex and Galba that ultimately cost him the throne... and his life. He was thought of as an insane, murderous fool by his contemporaries... and some historians attribute the biblical reference of "666" and the "sign of the beast", to Nero and his policies (Nero's name is said to equal the number 666 in ancient numerology). However, he is described as being "obsessed with popularity" and enacted many laws that benefitted the lower classes of Rome. He defended the rights of freed slaves from their former masters and built a number of gymnasiums and theaters for the people. Then again, many of these spending projects were said to have "bankrupted the empire".

Answer 4

Good: Nothing

Bad: He became emperor