Latest / Nero: Mad Tyrant or Misunderstood Emperor? — Fexingo History / Nero's Olympic Farce: The Achaian Games of 67 AD
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've covered a lot of Nero's reign — the fire, the conspiracy, the Golden House, even his obsession with Egypt. But there's one episode that really crystallizes the whole 'mad artist vs. misunderstood philhellene' debate, and it's the year 67 AD, when Nero basically hijacked the entire Greek athletic calendar. Luna: Hijacked how? Lucas: Well, the Olympic Games were supposed to happen every four years, right? But Nero wanted to compete, and he wasn't willing to wait. So he ordered the Games to be held in 67 AD, two years early, and then on top of that he crammed the other three major Panhellenic festivals — the Isthmian, Pythian, and Nemean Games — all into the same year, so he could participate in all of them in one grand tour. It was unprecedented, and it completely disrupted the sacred rhythms of Greek religious life. Luna: Wait, he competed in all of them? What events? Lucas: He entered the musical contests — singing and playing the cithara, which was his signature instrument — but also chariot racing, and even the herald competition, which was basically a public speaking contest. The Greeks were horrified, but they also had no choice. The Hellanodikai — the Olympic judges — were probably bribed or intimidated, because Nero won every event he entered. And some of these wins were outright farcical. Luna: Like what? Lucas: The most famous is the chariot race. Nero drove a ten-horse chariot — which was insanely difficult to control — and he actually fell out mid-race. He was thrown from the chariot and had to be helped back in, and he still didn't finish. But the judges awarded him the victory anyway, claiming he would have won if he hadn't fallen. Suetonius records that Nero left Greece with 1,808 victory crowns. It's hard to see that as anything but a farce. Luna: So it was pure megalomania then. Lucas: That's one interpretation. But there's another side. Nero was genuinely philhellenic — he admired Greek culture, spoke Greek, performed in Greek theatres, and he saw himself as an artist in the Greek tradition. When he visited Greece in 67 AD, he also made a dramatic announcement at the Isthmian Games: he declared the province of Achaia — that is, mainland Greece — free from Roman taxation and self-governing, restoring a semblance of the old Greek autonomy. He even gave Roman citizenship to all the Greeks in the province. That was a huge, populist gesture. Luna: But didn't that get reversed after his death? Lucas: Exactly. Vespasian revoked the freedom of Greece almost immediately, calling it a 'gift from a madman.' But at the time, Nero was hailed as a benefactor. The Greek writer Philostratus later described Nero as a 'lover of Greece,' and many Greek cities erected statues to him. So the question is: was he a sincere philhellene whose artistic ambitions got the better of him, or a tyrant who used culture as a tool of control? The answer is probably both. Luna: The ancient sources don't make it easy, do they? Lucas: No, they don't. Suetonius and Cassius Dio paint him as a monster, but they're writing from a senatorial perspective that despised his populism and his artistic pretensions. Meanwhile, Greek sources like Pausanias and Philostratus are more ambivalent — they acknowledge the absurdity of his competitions but also note his generosity. And there's archaeological evidence: inscriptions from Greek cities honoring Nero as 'the new Apollo' or 'the savior of Greece.' So the episode is a perfect microcosm of the Nero problem. Luna: What about the Neronia? That was his own festival in Rome, right? Lucas: Right, the Neronia was a festival he instituted in 60 AD, modeled on the Greek games, with musical, gymnastic, and equestrian contests. It was part of his broader push to Hellenize Roman culture. But the Neronia was controversial too — the Roman elite saw it as undignified for an emperor to perform on stage. And when Nero competed in Greece, he was essentially taking that idea to its logical extreme, treating the entire Greek world as his personal stage. Luna: So he was performing for the Greeks, but the Romans back home were cringing. Lucas: Exactly. And that tension is central to his downfall. The senatorial class felt he was betraying Roman dignity, while the common people in Rome and the provinces often loved him for his generosity and his showmanship. The Greek adventure of 67 AD is a perfect example: he spent enormous sums on gifts and buildings in Greece, and he even exempted the province from taxes for a time. But when he returned to Rome, he entered the city in a chariot wearing an Olympic victor's crown, and the elite just rolled their eyes. Luna: I remember reading that he also tried to compete in the Olympics as a herald. What was that about? Lucas: The herald contest was a competition in public speaking, and Nero thought he was a great orator. But again, the judges awarded him the victory even though his voice was reportedly weak and his delivery was affected. It's all part of the same pattern: Nero wanted to be seen as a universal champion, the best in every field. But the reality was that he was a mediocre performer at best, and his victories were manufactured. Luna: Did any Greeks object? Lucas: Some did, but they risked punishment. According to Pausanias, the Eleans — who oversaw the Olympic Games — were initially resistant to holding the games early, but they gave in after Nero sent his agents. There's also a story that a famous citharode named Menecrates was executed for refusing to praise Nero's performance. So there was real coercion involved. But overall, the Greeks seem to have gone along with it, partly out of fear and partly because Nero's gifts were substantial. Luna: It's almost like he was trying to buy their love. Lucas: In a way, yes. But it also fits his broader imperial vision. Nero was interested in integrating the eastern provinces more fully into the empire, and cultural patronage was one way to do that. He even planned to move the capital to Alexandria at one point, according to Suetonius. So his philhellenism wasn't just a personal hobby — it was a political strategy. Unfortunately, it alienated the traditionalist Roman elite, and that contributed to his isolation and eventual overthrow. Luna: So after his death, the Greeks lost their freedom. What happened to the games? Lucas: The games returned to their normal schedule after 67 AD. The Olympic Games of 68 AD were skipped, and the next one was in 69 AD, but the interruption was soon forgotten. As for Nero's memory, the damnatio memoriae was applied in Rome, but in Greece, some statues remained — though later emperors like Vespasian removed many. Still, the episode left a lasting impression: it showed how far an emperor could go in manipulating tradition for personal glory, and it highlighted the deep cultural divide between Rome and Greece. Luna: It's fascinating how one man's ego could disrupt centuries-old traditions. Lucas: Absolutely. And it's a reminder that history is rarely black and white. Nero was both a patron and a tyrant, an artist and a fool. His Greek games are a perfect lens through which to see that complexity.