Kaisar Nero

Nero Claudius Caesar (37-68) adalah salah satu kaisar Roma yang terkenal karena keburukannya. Dia lahir pada 15 December 37 dengan nama Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus, ibunya bernama Agrippina (15-59) dan ayahnya Gnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus (+40). Kakek Nero, Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus (+48 BC), adalah orang yang terkenal sadis dan kejam. Ayah Nero, Gnaeus, bahkan lebih kejam lagi. Dia bisa membunuh orang hanya karena menolak perintahnya untuk minum sebanyak yang dia minta, dan di saat yang lain, dia melukai mata orang yang berani mengkritik dia.

Ibunda Nero adalah seorang wanita yang ambisius dan memiliki trauma masa kecil karena kematian saudaranya akibat di bunuh oleh kaisar Tiberius.

Ketika berumur 3 tahun, ayah Nero yang kejam meninggal. Kemudian, banyak harta dan hak keluarganya di rampas oleh kaisar Roma saat itu, Caligula dan Nero serta keluarganya hidup dalam kemiskinan. Pada tahun 41, Agrippina di panggil oleh kaisar berikutnya, pamannya sendiri, Claudius (10 BC-54 AD).

Setelah kembali ke kota, Agrippina menikah dengan Passienus Crispus yang kaya. Setelah kematian suaminya tak lama setelah pernikahannya, Agrippina mewarisi kekayaannya. Tahun 48, permaisuri Messalina di hukum mati karena sebuah kesalahan, dan kaisar Clauidius kemudian menikahi Agrippina setahun kemudian.

Setelah kematian Clauidius, Agrippina dengan cerdik merancang rencana sehingga akhirnya Nero bisa menjadi kaisar Roma menggantikan Claudius. Saat menjadi kaisar, Nero telah menikah dengan Oktavia.

Nero memiliki tinggi tubuh rata-rata, berambut keriting berwarna terang keemasan. Kekejamannya segera di mulai saat dia mulai memerintah. Pada 11 February 55, Nero meracuni saudara tirinya yang berusia 14 tahun, Brittanicus saat makan malam. Dia mengklaim bahwa saudaranya terkena serangan epilepsi. Brittannicus di kubur diam-diam keesokan harinya. Tahun 62, Nero meracuni salah satu pelayan setianya, Doryphorus.

Kegilaan Kaisar Nero semakin menjadi-jadi ketika pada tahun 59, dia menginginkan kematian ibunya sendiri. Dia menyusun rencana dengan menaikkan sang ibu ke dalam kapal dan menenggelamkan kapal tersebut di lauta. Saat itu, sang ibu, Agrippina mampu menyelamatkan diri dengan berenang ke pantai. Tetapi kelak kemudian , Nero berhasil membunuh ibunya sendiri.

Seiring waktu, kaisar Nero menjadi seorang megalomaniac. Pengadilan di abaikan dan pajak di naikkan. Kaisar Nero mempunyai ketertarikan dan obsesi yang besar pada teater dan balap kereta kuda.

Dia suka mengurung penduduk Roma di dalam teater dan memaksa mereka untuk mendengarkan cerita atau nyanyian Nero. Pada tahun 60 dan 65 dia mengadakan festival dan memperkenalkan epik karyanya "Troica" yang bercerita tentang perang Trojan.

Dia suka menyanyikan lagu karangannya sendiri dan menyanyikannya bersama kelompok musik pribadinya. Di teater dan sirkus pribadinya, dia biasa menjadi seorang penunggang kereta kuda atau sebagai aktor. Dia juga biasa mengorbitkan bintang muda, tetapi segera menjadi cemburu apabila bintang tersebut sukses.

Pada bulan Juli 64, kebakaran besar melanda Roma. Rumor yang beredar mengatakan bahwa kebakaran tersebut sengaja di buat oleh Nero agar ada tempat baginya untuk membangun istana baru. Setelah kebakaran tersebut, Nero segera membangun kembali Roma dengan proyek raksasa pembangunan istana yang di kenal sebagai rumah emas yang dia maksudkan sebagai pelengkap tahtanya. Proyek tersebut adalah sebuah proyek rumit yang terdiri dari istana dan paviliun yang didirikan bersama dengan sebuah danau buatan dan seribu patung perunggu Nero. Proyek tersebut memiliki desain dan konsep yang revolusioner.

Sangat sulit untuk mengetahui penyebab ketidakseimbangan mental Nero. Cintanya pada salah satu istrinya, Poppaea dan mimpi buruk yang di alaminya setelah membunuh sang ibu, membuktikan kalau dia bukanlah seorang psychopath. Dia lebih tepat di sebut sebagai schizophrenic.

Tumbuh tanpa figur ayah dan ibu yang ambisius dan selalu mengekangnya. Lingkungan masa kecilnya mengkondisikan dia untuk mengambil pilihan menghancurkan semua musuhnya, bahkan jika musuh itu hanyalah bayangannya saja. Hidup terisolasi membuatnya menjalani hidup dalam dunia khayalan.

Sebuah konspirasi yang gagal untuk membunuh Nero terjadi tahun 65. Akibatnya, 13 orang di hukum mati dan 19 orang meninggal. Tahun berikutnya, Nero mengadakan perjalanan ke Yunani untuk mengikuti pertandingan pada festivals di Olympia dan Delphi. Dia menyuap semua juri, dan seperti biasanya, dia melarang penonton meninggalkan tempat duduknya saat dia sedang bertanding. Akhirnya dia pulang dengan membawa semua hadiah.

Pada musim semi, pemberontakan terhadap dirinya di mulai di propinsi yang keberatan dengan tingginya pajak. Pemberontakan itu segera berpengaruh dan rakyat Romawi mulai memberontak terhadap Nero. Tak lama kemudian, senat menetapkan Nero sebagai musuh rakyat. Pada saat itu, penasehat utama Nero, Tigellinus sedang sakit berat dan Nero kehilangan keberaniannya.

Kemudian Nero ingin melarikan diri dengan kapal, tetapi pengawalnya menolak permintaan Nero untuk mempersiapkan kapal tersebut. Ketika para prajurit menangkapnya pada 9 Juni, dia menusuk lehernya sendiri dengan pisau.

Kaisar Nero di makamkan di kuburan keluarga di Domitii, bukit Pincian. Istri ketiganya, Statilia Messalina, meninggalkan Nero sebelum peristiwa itu dan kekasihnya, meninggalkan Roma dan bunuh diri setahun kemudian.

Article source: http://ferryzanzad.multiply.com/journal/item/255/Kaisar_Nero_Kaisar_yang_membakar_kotanya_sendiri

Nero, Christians, and the Great Fire of Rome

It was the night of July 19, 64 A.D., when the Great Fire burst through the rooftops of shops near the mass entertainment and chariot racing venue called Circus Maximus. The flames, whipped by a strong wind, rapidly engulfed densely populated areas of the city.

After burning uncontrolled for five days, 4 of the 14 Roman districts were burned to the ground, and seven more were severely damaged.

Nero: Fiddling While Rome Burned?

Nero might have been playing a kithara while Rome burned, but he wasn’t playing a fiddle. That’s because violins weren’t invented until around 1550.

Nero, probably the most infamous Roman emperor, was a great-grandson of Caesar Augustus.

When his mother’s husband (also her uncle, and Nero’s adopted father…) was murdered with poisoned mushrooms, Nero succeded to the throne.

Like many kids in those days, he wanted to be a famous singer and a poet. His talent was poor, but as emperor, the empire doubled as captive audience.

His mother tried to control Nero, to the point of having intercourse with him. He tried to murder her by booking her on a ship that was designed to fall apart at sea. Unfortunately, his mom was a good swimmer. After she survived, he had a soldier kill her. This shocked the public, a little bit, but they got over it.

Neropolis

It was no secret that Nero wanted to build a series of palaces that he planned to name Neropolis.

But, the planned location was in the city. In order to build Neropolis, a third of Rome would have to be torn down. The senate rejected the idea.

Then, coincidentally, the fire cleared the real estate Neropolis required.

Despite the obvious benefit, there’s still a good probability that Nero did NOT start the fire. Up to a hundred small fires regularly broke out in Rome each day. On top of that, the fire destroyed Nero’s own palace. It also appears that Nero did everything he could to stop the fire…

Nero’s Reaction to the Fire

Accounts of the day say that when Nero heard about the fire, he rushed back from Antium to organize a relief effort, using his own money. He opened his palaces to let in the homeless, and had food supplies delivered to the survivors.

Nero also devised a new urban development plan that would make Rome less vulnerable to fire. But, although he put in place rules to insure a safer reconstruction, he also gave himself a huge tract of city property with the intention of building his new palace there.

Fake Terror Gives Poll Numbers a Bump

People knew of Nero’s plans for Neropolis, and all his efforts to help the city could not counteract the rampant rumors that he’d help start the fire.

As his poll numbers dropped, Nero’s administration realized the need to employ False Flag 101: When something—anything—bad happens to you, even if it’s accidental, point the finger at your enemy.

Luckily, there was a strange new cult of religious nuts at hand. This cult was unpopular because they refused to worship the emperor, denounced possessions, held secret meetings, and they were always talking about the destruction of Rome and the end of the world.

Even more lucky for Nero, two of the cult’s biggest leaders—Peter and Paul—were currently in town.

So, Nero spread word that the Christians had started the Great Fire. The citizens of Rome bought his lie hook, line, and sinker. Peter was crucified (upside down, at his own request) and Paul was beheaded. Hundreds of others in the young cult were fed to the lions, or smeared with tar and set on fire to become human street lamps.

Such is the fate of those unwittingly caught in a false flag operation.

copyright©2007 Joe Crubaugh

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Joe_Crubaugh

Roman Coin History

Paying for goods and services in Rome didn't start with the coin but certainly ended there. Before the common use of the coin was an economy that operated on the bartering of livestock. Then, came the early coinage in the form of bronze bars around 289 B.C. From here things began to change with the creation of 'change' and it never turned back.

Roman coinage started with the Greeks. As Roman armies marched southward and encountered silver coinage within the Greek colonies, the appearance of silver began to show up in Rome's history. From here, Roman history would show itself on its coinage throughout time.

To start, the earliest bronze coins had featured gods such as Janus, Mercury and Apollo. In 44 B.C. Caesar was the first to place a portrait of himself on the silver denarius and was the first living Roman to do so. With this, he started a tradition in which Hellenistic monarchs began portraying themselves on coinage while they were alive.

When Antony and Octavian divided the Roman world into eastern and western sectors, coinage served as propaganda as each tried gaining power over each other. Coins celebrated the achievements abroad whereby Octavian or Augustus, as he was later named, stabilized the frontiers of the empire. The major imperial mints issued gold and silver coins featuring Augustus' achievements, military victories, peace and prosperity whereas bronze emphasized his civil powers and honors. Therefore, gold and silver were often circulated among the wealthier classes and the bonze became the civil and military standard.

During Nero's reign, the coinage changed from idealistic images on coins to more realistic portraits. Later, the need for increased funds to rebuild Rome after fires in A.D. 64, led to a monetary reform. The aureus and the denarius were reduced in weight and the bronze sestertius was introduced. Because this coin was larger in size, Nero's die-engravers could make images more realistic.

During the "Year of the Four Emperors" during A.D. 69, Rome's prosperity and achievements began showing up on coins again. The capture of Jerusalem and the construction of the Flavian Amphitheater were featured on coins. Other coins honored Minerva, the warrior goddess and later coins honored Jupiter, the supreme god of all - both deities Domitian admired during his term as emperor.

As Rome continued with stability for almost a century, coins were characterized with liberty, prosperity, equity and justice. Women even began appearing on coins with garments and hairstyles showing off the affluence of the age.

After the age of peace, when emperors began to come and go, the value of the denarius began to lose its value. When Nero ruled in A.D. 54-68, the coin dropped to 50 percent of its value. By the time Philip the Arab reigned in A.D. 244-249 the denarius was almost rendered obsolete. Silver and gold also became devalued. Reformation of the coinage didn't come back until Diocletian in A.D. 284. Diocletian divided the empire into eastern and western halves with a senior Augustus and a junior Caesar in charge of each. He remapped the districts and redefined Roman coinage. In A.D. 294 he minted gold coins at 60 to the pound, silver coins of nearly pure silver at 96 to the pound and several sets of bronze coins in varying size and value. But it wasn't until the age of Constantine who made the major and final innovation of Roman coinage. The coin became the realm of which payment for taxes was accepted and the gold standard was created and remained for another 700 years.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Josh_White

Who Invented Ice Cream? And Ice Cream Cone History

Want to know who invented ice cream? Do know the history of the cone? Do you think you have an idea? Debates have swirled over these topics for centuries. Here, we'll present the facts on this frozen treat and on ice cream cone history and you can decide who you think invented one of the world's most popular treats.

There are many myths and legends and other documented stories concerning who invented ice cream. Some are true; others are just plain myth. Ready for some entertaining reading?

The following blurbs are fun and would be a great conversation piece as you serve up your next bowl of homemade frozen goodness. So, can you decide what is true or not? Picture these fascinating scenes...and you decide! Just who invented ice cream?

History Myth, Folklore...and Truth?!

* During the 400s B.C., people were already eating frozen treats! Royalty from Persia enjoyed ice mixed with various flavors and fruit.

* Alexander the Great (356-323 B.C.) is well known for his love of eating snow that was flavored with honey and nectar.

* Nero, a powerful Roman emperor (54-68 A.D.), had snow and ice brought to him from the hills by slaves. Nero was so intent on getting his beloved treat, that if it melted before it got back to him, he would execute the slaves! Nero also had rooms built beneath his palace in order to store what the slaves brought back. He would top his frozen treat with some juicy fruit!

* During the 1500s, Mughal emperors had horsemen bring them ice so that they could make fruit sorbets.

* In 1533, the French King Henry II married the Italian Catherine de' Medici. Her Italian chefs that she brought with her to France were able to make sorbets through their special ability to flavor ice. So, the idea was in France and it spread to Italy. But how did it get to France?

* There was another famous king who loved to eat flavored snow: Charles I of England. Since this treat was so precious to King Charles, he sought to keep it a royal treat. He bribed the chef with money in order to keep the recipe a royal secret. What happened when King Charles died? You guessed it! The chef spread it like wild fire!

What about the History of the Cone?

The cone. Who invented it? Just like with who invented ice cream, cone history is disputed. Again, I'll present what is reported and you decide!

Italo Marchiony is credited with inventing a dish you can eat that was made for holding this frozen favorite in 1896. This may not have been a cone, though.

David Avayou insists that he was the one to whom credit should go for making the cone popular in St. Louis in 1904 at the World Fair. He saw how the frozen desserts were served in paper cups in France, and sought to improve upon the idea. After experimenting, he made the cone.

Charles Menches also wants some recognition...but why? His claim may seem to be plausible, but what is it?

The same is with Ernest Hamwi. Many historians credit him with the invention.

...but is he the true source of ice cream cone history? What is the most likely story for who invented ice cream?

Jenn Fraiser is passionate about ice cream.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jenn_Fraiser