Sunday, May 17, 2026
How Bad Were Bad Roman Emperors?
Josiah Osgood – Georgetown University
Nero fiddling while Rome burned, Caligula appointing his horse as consul, Commodus fighting as a gladiator: Rome’s worse emperors live on in popular memory as few other figures from the past do. Just how bad were these men?
Modern historians have often dismissed ancient accounts as unreliable and also have suggested that it didn’t matter who the emperor was. A re-examination of the evidence, including recent archaeological finds, however, argues that an emperor could put his stamp on a whole age and affect the lives of millions for good and for bad.
Come and meet anew these notorious rulers and learn how their abuse of power generated a literature of protest that has shaped culture to the present day.
Luncheon at 2 pm; Lecture at 3 pm
This event will be held at:
Tandoori Fairfax
10312 Willard Way / Fairfax, VA 22030
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