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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Trebellianus, post: 3103129, member: 91569&quot;]Probably my favourite Roman, if that&#039;s the right word — what combination of perceived potence and impotence causes a man to be unsatisfied with merely being <i>Imperator Caesar Augustus</i>, and leads him to seek glory as an actor / musician / athlete / chariot racer / poet as well? I have no particular opinions on whether the most lurid libels handed down by Suetonius, Tacitus and the rest are accurate or not, but the broader picture of vanity, egoism and stupidity rings true, I feel. Suetonius&#039; account of his having dropped an implement he was holding while performing in a competition, and being struck by genuine anxiety that the judges would disqualify their emperor, is particularly picturesque I think.</p><p><br /></p><p>Anyway here&#039;s a nicely sinister portrait, recently acquired:</p><p>[ATTACH=full]785728[/ATTACH]</p><p><b><font size="3">Nero</font></b><font size="3">, Lugdunum, 66AD: O: head left, [IM]P NERO CAESAR AVG P MAX T[R P P P] / R: Victory flying left, holding shield inscribed SP[QR], S-C between. Seller&#039;s photo.</font>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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