All about Nero

Nero was an emperor of ancient Rome who lived a very long time ago, from 37 AD to 68 AD. He became emperor when he was just 16 years old! At first, Nero was quite popular because he lowered taxes and held lots of fun games and performances for the people of Rome. He loved music and even performed in public, which was unusual for an emperor.

However, things started to go wrong. Nero was known for being very cruel and doing some terrible things. He is often blamed for a great fire that burned a large part of Rome in 64 AD, although some people say it wasn't his fault. After the fire, he built a huge palace for himself called the "Domus Aurea," which made many people angry because they thought he was using their money for his own luxury.

Nero's rule became more and more unpopular. Many people started to turn against him, including his own guards. In the end, Nero's enemies forced him to flee. Feeling alone and scared, Nero took his own life at the age of 30.

Even though he started off as a young and promising ruler, Nero is often remembered as one of Rome's most notorious emperors because of his harsh and selfish ways.

1. How old was Nero when he became emperor of Rome?
2. What did Nero do to make himself popular at the beginning of his rule?
3. Why did people get angry when Nero built the "Domus Aurea"?
4. If you were an advisor to Nero, what advice would you have given him to be a better ruler?
5. Why do you think people remember Nero as a notorious emperor even though he started off as a promising ruler?

Symbols and Traditions

Hi! My name is Clara, and I’m 8 years old. I want to tell you about my amazing trip to Rome. It was so cool! I learned about this emperor named Nero who was famous a long, long time ago. We visited a place called the Colosseum. It's a huge, round building where they used to have big shows and fights. It was built during the time of Nero, and it's super old! I got to see the big arches and even some tunnels underneath where the animals and fighters would wait. I felt like I was in a different world!

We also saw a really big statue of Nero, but it’s not there anymore. They told us that the statue was so big that people could see it from really far away. It was called the Colossus of Nero. I imagined how it would look if it was still standing. Nero’s story was fun to hear because he did a lot of crazy things, but he also built some cool stuff.

Rome is full of old buildings and ruins, and it made me think about how people lived so long ago. I can’t wait to tell all my friends about it!

1. Who is writing this blog post?
2. What is the name of the big round building Clara visited in Rome?
3. Why do you think Clara felt like she was in a different world when she visited the Colosseum?
4. What might have been the reason people could see the Colossus of Nero from far away?
5. How do you think learning about Nero and his buildings could help us understand history better?

Profile of Nero

A Timeline of Nero to another Festival

After learning all about Nero, your job is to create a timeline of their life. You should add all the important events in their life but you can be inventive and add some interesting things that people might like to read about. You can make it as simply as you like with pen and paper or you can be very inventive and create a 3D diorama or hanging banner. The sky's the limit - go for it!

Slideshow - Nero
A full set of teaching plans for Neroteaching.