1. Written by Lin Donn Illustrated by Phillip Martin
Nero Goes Insane
Ancient Rome
Written by Lin Donn Illustrated by Phillip Martin

2. Nero The Roman Empire lasted for 500 years.
In the 500 years Rome was an empire, Rome had over 140 different emperors! Emperors had absolute rule. They controlled the government, the military, and the people.
One of the most famous Roman emperors was Nero.

3. Nero
At first, the people thought Nero was rather fun. He was always doing crazy things, like racing at the Circus Maximus.
But people did not laugh for long.

4. Christianity
While Nero was racing, a new religion sprang up in Rome. It was called Christianity.
Christians believed in one god. They refused to worship the Roman gods.
In Nero’s time, that was against the law. If you did not worship Roman gods, you were a criminal.

5. Colosseum Nero told his army to hunt down Christians!
Once people confessed to being Christians, they were brought to the Colosseum, another big entertainment center in ancient Rome.

6. Colosseum Gladiators! 50,000 Seated Spectators!
This is where the ancient Romans gathered to watch bloody combat between professional fighters called gladiators.

7. Colosseum Bloody Battles! Wild Animals!
There were also battles between men and wild animals. Not everyone liked the bloody sports, but many did.
Admission was FREE.

8. Nero Nero persecuted Christians
Nero ordered Christians to be thrown to the lions as part of the entertainment in the Colosseum.

9. Nero
It was right about then that Rome’s leaders began to suspect their emperor was going insane. But they were afraid to do anything about it. Nero was a very powerful emperor.

10. Nero
Nero was the emperor of Rome. He could send his army out to kill anyone, including members of the Senate and their families.

11. Nero As time went on, Nero’s behavior became more and more murderous.
He killed his mother.
He killed his wife.

12. Nero
One day, Nero ordered some of the members of the Senate to kill themselves. That was when they finally took action.
The Senate ordered Nero’s immediate execution.
When Nero heard about it, he killed himself instead.

13. Free Clip Art & More Stories
Free Clip Art for Ancient Rome
Free Templates for presentations in PowerPoint format & how to use them!
Ancient Rome for Kids

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