When he became emperor, Nero was a young man who enjoyed the theater, music and horse racing. His dominating mother, Agrippina, had already murdered Claudius to see her son on the throne.

Anyone curious about the mother’s intentions could find the answer on coins from the era, depicting the teenage emperor’s face no larger than that of Agrippina. Nero’s early reign was golden.

The Roman emperor Nero is known as one of history’s most brutal and eccentric leaders. He is said to have killed his mother, stepbrother and wives, persecuted Christians and squandered a fortune ...