Nero: The Man Behind the Myth to open at the British Museum May 27, 2021
An exhibition that will examine the misogynistic treatment of women under the reign of the emperor Nero is slated to open at the British Museum on May 27, 2021. It will be on display until October 24, 2021. This "fresh look" at one of Rome's most notorious emperors will include more than 200 objects from the imperial palace in Rome to the streets of Pompeii that appear to contradict the traditional depiction of the “tyrant”, which is based on a “narrow range” of “brutally biased and partisan” sources. Part of the exhibition will also explore the role of imperial Roman women who were portrayed as adulterous and incestuous. Visitors will be able to see sculpture, manuscripts, objects destroyed in the 64 CE Great Fire of Rome, jewelry and even slave chains from Wales. The Fenwick Hoard, a treasure discovered in 2014 beneath the floor of a shop in Colchester, will also be on display. Drawing on the latest research, this major exhibition questions the traditional narrative o...