EXHIBITION ON NERO IN TRIER, GERMANY

We would like to make you aware of the exhibition entitled “Nero ‒ Emperor, Artist and Tyrant”, which will run until the 16^th of October in Trier, Germany. It attempts to convey a both vivid and accurate impression of Nero’s life as one of the most notorious emperors of Roman history: “It was especially his last years in power that have formed the “modern” image of Nero as a tyrant, persecutor of Christians, arsonist and that of a Roman emperor whose megalomania and cruelty knew no boundaries. This firmly fixed image rose primarily from the writings of ancient authors such as Tacitus, Suetonius and Cassius Dio, members of the Senatorial aristocracy, whose way of thinking Nero was ignorant of. This perception, however, is one-sided and contains numerous clichés which, at a closer look, cannot be confirmed. In recent years, research has gained many new and surprising insights into Nero. The exhibition follows the aim of employing the latest scholarly findings and by means of available sources from archaeology, epigraphy, numismatics as well as ancient literature to view Nero in a new light.”

The exhibition takes place at three different venues that are within walking distance of each other: “In the Rheinisches Landesmuseum, visitors will be able to view more than 400 exhibits from renowned lenders from 16 countries and over 80 museums and institutions. Based on the latest research results in archaeology and studies in ancient history, a unique exhibition, never seen before in Germany, has been planned concerning Nero as emperor, artist and tyrant. The Museum am Dom will address the development of early Christianity and the first Christian persecutions under Emperor Nero with the title “Nero and the Christians”. The Stadtmuseum Simeonstift will devote its exhibition to the fascinating reception history surrounding Nero’s person from the Middle Ages to the present, with the title “Lust and Crime. Nero – The Myth in Art”.

“The Roman Emperor Augustus founded Augusta Treverorumin 17 BC. Thus Trier is the oldest city in Germany and was of enormous importance in Late Antiquity as an imperial residence of the Western Roman Empire. World-renowned archaeological remains testify to the city’s preeminence.”

For more information on the exhibition, please follow the link.