Nero's Forgotten Naval Victory at Nicaea

Nero: Mad Tyrant or Misunderstood Emperor? — Fexingo History · Sep 15, 2026 · 9m · transcript

While Nero’s Greek tours and Persian ambitions dominate the historical record, his early reign featured a decisive military success that secured Rome’s eastern flank. This episode explores the Battle of Nicaea in AD 60, where Lucius Senio and Gnaeus Domitius Corbulo defeated the Parthian-backed forces of Tiridates. We examine how this victory contrasted with the later Armenian crisis and why Tacitus largely ignored it. The conversation details the tactical deployment of Roman legions against Parthian cavalry, the role of local Greek city-states, and the political fallout that cemented…