In 48 CE, the Roman empress Agrippina - granddaughter of Augustus, daughter of the late and beloved general Germanicus - orchestrated her then-seventeen year old son’s accession to the imperial throne, after the suspicious death of her husband (also, by the way, her uncle). This new emperor, Nero, would rule for the next fifteen years, and he would become known as one of the most infamous emperors of all of Roman history. In addition to political conspiracies and murders (Agrippina herself being a notable victim), Neronian Rome witnessed a flourishing of culture, with the production of some of the most remarkable works of literature, art, and architecture. This course will investigate the literature, history, and culture of Rome under Nero. We will thus explore a wide range of material, including literary and philosophical texts such as Lucan’s epic poem on the civil war between Julius Caesar and Pompey, the tragedies and philosophical works of Seneca, and Petronius’ novel, the Satyricon, as well as the art and architecture of Neronian Rome, such as the Domus Aurea (Golden House), the massive palace in the center of Rome commissioned by Nero. Throughout, we will consider what ideological and aesthetic features are common to these works. This course will additionally focus upon the afterlives of Nero and Neronian Rome, beginning with Tacitus’ account of the period in his Annales. We will consider why certain emperors, above all Nero, are remembered in the ancient historiographical tradition as “bad”. We will also explore the apocalyptic dimension of Nero’s afterlife, including his evolution into the antichrist in early Christian literature.