> “When you look at the evidence here, you can play it any which way,” says Drinkwater. “The great joy of doing ancient history is taking the bits you’ve got an

> “When you look at the evidence here, you can play it any which way,” says Drinkwater. “The great joy of doing ancient history is taking the bits you’ve got and putting them together—let’s be honest—more or less the way you feel. I got to know Nero, and I always felt that he couldn’t have done this to his mother in cold blood. This gives away the game. Yes, his mom died, but he couldn't have done it. Yes, he killed Christians, but it wasn't as bad as people thought. Yes, he sang while Rome burned, but hey, Oppenheimer said "Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds", which is basically the same thing. It's a fun read, and it's interesting to see how historical narratives get formed. It did make a good case that he might not as bad as the worst narratives say. But I wouldn't go much further than that.