Nero Flashcards
What was the name of Nero’s mother?
a) Messalina
b) Agrippina the Younger
c) Octavia
d) Poppaea
b) Agrippina the Younger
How did Nero become the heir to the throne?
a) He was chosen by the Senate.
b) He overthrew Claudius.
c) Claudius adopted him, making him heir over his biological son.
d) His mother forced Claudius to choose him.
c) Claudius adopted him, making him heir over his biological son.
What event marked the end of the Quinquennium, the first five years of Nero’s reign?
a) His marriage to Poppaea
b) The death of Burrus
c) The Great Fire of Rome
d) The death of Agrippina
d) The death of Agrippina
Which of the following was NOT a significant influence on Nero during his early reign?
a) Seneca
b) Burrus
c) Agrippina the Younger
d) Caligula
d) Caligula
What was Nero’s reaction to the Great Fire of Rome in 64 CE, according to Tacitus?
a) He ignored it completely.
b) He personally fought the fire.
c) He opened his estates to shelter and feed victims.
d) He blamed it on Christians.
c) He opened his estates to shelter and feed victims.
How did Nero initially gain the loyalty of the Praetorian Guard?
a) He increased their pay.
b) He gave them a donative (bribe) and free grain.
c) He promised them positions of power.
d) He removed corrupt commanders.
b) He gave them a donative (bribe) and free grain.
Which Roman myth was associated with Nero’s family, the Ahenobarbi?
a) They descended from Romulus and Remus.
b) Their ancestor was visited by Castor and Pollux after a battle.
c) They were descended from the gods themselves.
d) Their ancestor founded the city of Rome.
b) Their ancestor was visited by Castor and Pollux after a battle.
Who was Seneca to Nero?
a) His stepfather
b) His military commander
c) His tutor
d) His chief political rival
c) His tutor
How did Nero’s father, Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, describe his son?
a) As a future great emperor
b) As a kind and noble leader
c) As someone who would bring disaster to the state
d) As an artist who would bring glory to Rome
c) As someone who would bring disaster to the state
What was one of the reasons that led to Nero’s downfall and eventual suicide?
a) His loss in a military campaign
b) A rebellion by governors like Galba
c) The Senate’s support for Britannicus
d) The marriage to Poppaea
b) A rebellion by governors like Galba
What significant event occurred in 54 CE that solidified Nero’s rule?
a) He married Poppaea.
b) He was escorted to the Praetorian Guard camp by Burrus.
c) He deposed Claudius.
d) He led a military victory against Gaul.
b) He was escorted to the Praetorian Guard camp by Burrus.
Which of Nero’s relatives tried to get him killed early in his life?
a) Messalina
b) Britannicus
c) Claudius
d) Octavia
a) Messalina
Nero’s reign was initially guided by two key advisors, Seneca and:
a) Tigellinus
b) Burrus
c) Galba
d) Vindex
b) Burrus
How did Nero’s mother, Agrippina, die?
a) She was poisoned.
b) She was executed by Nero’s soldiers.
c) She was assassinated by the Senate.
d) She died in a shipwreck.
b) She was executed by Nero’s soldiers.
What mythological act was associated with Nero’s ancestor, involving an elephant?
a) He paraded through Italy on an elephant after a great battle.
b) He fought an elephant in the arena.
c) He captured an elephant during a military campaign.
d) He was gifted an elephant by the gods.
a) He paraded through Italy on an elephant after a great battle.
Which tutor was responsible for Nero’s education in his early years?
a) Caligula
b) Seneca the Younger
c) Julius Caesar
d) Marcus Aurelius
b) Seneca the Younger
What did Nero use to win over the support of the Roman people during the Great Fire?
a) He promised lower taxes.
b) He held lavish games.
c) He distributed free grain and opened imperial estates for shelter.
d) He built new temples across the city.
c) He distributed free grain and opened imperial estates for shelter.
Who replaced Burrus as the head of the Praetorian Guard in 62 CE?
a) Tigellinus
b) Galba
c) Seneca
d) Britannicus
a) Tigellinus
What characterized Nero’s relationship with the aristocracy after the Quinquennium?
a) He treated them with respect.
b) He forced many into trials and confiscated their property.
c) He gave them more power in government.
d) He relied on them for military advice.
b) He forced many into trials and confiscated their property.
What infamous rumor spread about Nero during the Great Fire of Rome?
a) He fled the city in fear.
b) He played music and sang while the city burned.
c) He was seen looting houses.
d) He was giving speeches in the Senate.
b) He played music and sang while the city burned.
Who did Nero blame for the Great Fire of Rome?
a) The Senate
b) Galba
c) The Christians
d) The Praetorian Guard
c) The Christians
What major construction project did Nero undertake after the Great Fire?
a) The rebuilding of the Senate house
b) The construction of the Domus Aurea
c) The renovation of the Colosseum
d) The restoration of the Roman Forum
b) The construction of the Domus Aurea
How did Nero maintain popularity with the people despite growing dissatisfaction among the aristocracy?
a) He held frequent public performances and games.
b) He cut taxes.
c) He built new public baths.
d) He led a successful military campaign.
a) He held frequent public performances and games
How did Nero’s reign end?
a) He was assassinated by the Praetorian Guard.
b) He fled Rome and committed suicide.
c) He was overthrown by the Senate.
d) He died in battle.
b) He fled Rome and committed suicide.
What statement did Nero reportedly make before his death?
a) “Rome will never forget me.”
b) “What an artist dies with me.”
c) “I am the true emperor of Rome.”
d) “The gods have abandoned me.”
b) “What an artist dies with me.”
Who conspired against Nero in the Pisonian Conspiracy of 65 CE?
a) Seneca and Burrus
b) Several Roman senators and aristocrats
c) The Praetorian Guard
d) His wife, Octavia
b) Several Roman senators and aristocrats
Which general declared himself emperor after Nero’s downfall?
a) Vindex
b) Galba
c) Otho
d) Vitellius
b) Galba
What was the Domus Aurea?
a) Nero’s theater
b) Nero’s new imperial palace built after the Great Fire
c) A temple dedicated to Augustus
d) Nero’s favorite public bath
b) Nero’s new imperial palace built after the Great Fire
What prompted Nero to kill his mother, Agrippina?
a) She supported his brother, Britannicus, as the rightful heir.
b) She opposed his marriage to Poppaea.
c) She plotted to overthrow him.
d) She tried to take control of the military.
b) She opposed his marriage to Poppaea.
Which Roman historian described Nero’s reign as both good and bad?
a) Tacitus
b) Suetonius
c) Dio Cassius
d) Plutarch
b) Suetonius
What did Nero use to manipulate the Senate in his early years?
a) Promises of military expansion
b) Support from the Praetorian Guard
c) A strategy of appeasement and clemency
d) Bribes of gold and land
c) A strategy of appeasement and clemency
What major event in 64 CE severely damaged Rome?
a) The assassination of Seneca
b) The eruption of Mount Vesuvius
c) The Great Fire
d) The invasion of Gaul
c) The Great Fire
Who was Octavia in relation to Nero?
a) His sister
b) His first wife
c) His mother
d) His daughter
b) His first wife
What ultimately happened to Nero’s first wife, Octavia?
a) She fled Rome.
b) She was executed.
c) She became Empress of Rome.
d) She divorced Nero.
b) She was executed.
Which lavish construction project did Nero undertake that symbolized his growing detachment from the Roman people?
a) The renovation of the Senate House
b) The Domus Aurea (Golden House)
c) The construction of new aqueducts
d) A massive military fort on the frontier
b) The Domus Aurea (Golden House)
How did Nero attempt to gain favor with the people at the beginning of his reign?
a) He held a large public feast.
b) He gave out large amounts of money and grain.
c) He promised to expand the empire.
d) He repealed military laws.
b) He gave out large amounts of money and grain.
What was the relationship between Nero and Britannicus?
a) They were cousins.
b) They were half-brothers.
c) They were political rivals.
d) They were allies.
b) They were half-brothers.
How did Nero deal with the threat posed by Britannicus?
a) He exiled him.
b) He poisoned him.
c) He imprisoned him.
d) He made him a general in the army.
b) He poisoned him.
What happened to Seneca during Nero’s reign?
a) He was exiled.
b) He was forced to retire and eventually committed suicide.
c) He remained a close advisor until Nero’s death.
d) He led a rebellion against Nero.
b) He was forced to retire and eventually committed suicide.
How did Nero’s indulgence in the arts impact his reputation as an emperor?
a) It made him more popular with the Senate.
b) It was seen as beneath the dignity of an emperor.
c) It solidified his reputation as a military leader.
d) It led to a cultural revival in Rome.
b) It was seen as beneath the dignity of an emperor.
Nero’s father, Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, was known for which of the following characteristics?
a) Kindness and generosity
b) Cruelty and arrogance
c) Military genius
d) Diplomatic skill
b) Cruelty and arrogance
What was Nero’s most famous public performance?
a) Acting in plays
b) Chariot racing
c) Singing and playing the lyre
d) Gladiatorial combat
c) Singing and playing the lyre
Who succeeded Nero after his death?
a) Galba
b) Otho
c) Vitellius
d) Vespasian
a) Galba
Which emperor is blamed for the beginning of Christian persecution in Rome?
a) Augustus
b) Claudius
c) Nero
d) Caligula
c) Nero
What type of events did Nero sponsor that drained the imperial treasury?
a) Military campaigns
b) Gladiatorial games and public performances
c) Aqueduct constructions
d) Religious ceremonies
b) Gladiatorial games and public performances
Which of Nero’s wives was associated with his desire to eliminate his mother, Agrippina?
a) Poppaea
b) Messalina
c) Octavia
d) Lepida
a) Poppaea
Why did Nero castrate a boy named Sporus?
a) He believed Sporus was a political rival.
b) He wanted to marry him as a wife.
c) Sporus plotted against him.
d) Sporus betrayed his army.
b) He wanted to marry him as a wife.
What scandalous act did Nero commit against the Vestal Virgins?
a) He married one of them.
b) He seduced a Vestal Virgin.
c) He forced them to compete in gladiatorial games.
d) He had them executed for treason.
b) He seduced a Vestal Virgin.
What did Nero do to maintain power among the Roman aristocracy and senators?
a) He executed them in large numbers.
b) He formed alliances with them.
c) He bribed them with land and wealth.
d) He excluded them from important decisions.
a) He executed them in large numbers.
Which group was responsible for Nero’s downfall?
a) The Praetorian Guard
b) The Senate
c) The Roman people
d) Governors in Spain and Gaul
d) Governors in Spain and Gaul
