LESSON 5.13 Inquiry: How bad was Emperor Nero?
LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this lesson you should be able to: • corroborate primary and secondary sources • ask questions to evaluate the accuracy of different interpretations.
Background In this inquiry, you will use skills in corroborating primary and secondary sources and asking questions about their accuracy and usefulness to draw conclusions and use as evidence.
SOURCE1 The site of Rome’s Circus Maximus, where, according to Suetonius, Nero drove a chariot in a race
SkillBuilder discussion Historical signiýcance 1. What were Nero’s entertainments? 2. What type of life did Nero lead? 3. What novel game did he invent?
SOURCE2 An account of Nero’s lifestyle by the ancient Roman writer, Suetonius (c. 69–140 CE)
He gave an immense variety of entertainments ... parties, chariot races in the Circus, stage plays, a gladiatorial show ... and actually raced four-camel chariots! At the Great Festival, as he called the series of plays devoted to the eternity of the Empire ... all kinds of gifts were scattered to the people ... Nero practiced every kind of obscenity, and ... ýnally invented a novel game: he was released from a cage dressed in the skins of wild animals, and attacked the private parts of men and women who stood bound to stakes.
TOPIC5 Ancient Rome 173
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator