Nero's Cithara: Music vs. Madness Myth

Nero’s reputation as an incompetent art-obsessed emperor rests partly on his passion for the cithara, a seven-stringed lyre. But was his musical career mere vanity or a sophisticated political tool? In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the cithara’s role in Roman society, Nero’s performances at the Neronia and in Greek theaters, and the lost poem he wrote about the Trojan War. They discuss how ancient historians like Suetonius and Tacitus weaponized his musical ambition, the meaning behind his famous dying words 'Qualis artifex pereo,' and the surprising respect he earned from Greek audiences. The episode also touches on the Senatus Consultum of 62 AD that allowed equestrians to perform on stage, revealing how Nero blurred lines between emperor and entertainer. This is not the usual story of a tyrant fiddling—but of an emperor who used the cithara to reach his people, and paid the price in posterity. #Nero #Cithara #AncientMusic #RomanEmpire #Neronia #QualisArtifexPereo #Suetonius #Tacitus #Philhellene #Troica #PythianGames #Corinth #Lyra #Equestrian #Performance #History #FexingoHistory #RomanHistory Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo