New Nero Exhibition to Open at the British Museum!

[caption id="attachment_70932" align="alignleft" width="288"] Marble bust of Nero. Italy, around AD 55. Photo by Francesco Piras. With permission of the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali e per il Turismo ̶ Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Cagliari.[/caption] As London slowly emerges from lockdown, its museums are preparing to re-open and welcome visitors back safely in accordance with government guidelines. The British Museum is gearing up to open its doors and kick things off with a spectacular new exhibition, Nero: The Man Behind the Myth. The exhibition will run from May 27th – October 24th highlighting the story behind one of Rome’s most infamous and misunderstood emperors. Hartwig Fischer, Director of the British Museum, said ‘Nero: the man behind the myth is the first major exhibition in the UK to look beyond the commonly held view of Nero as the Emperor who fiddled while Rome burned. The exhibition’s representation of Nero is one that resonates with our times, in a world with deepening social and economic challenges, contested facts and the polarisation of opinion. The exhibition will showcase over 200 objects, items that have never been seen before on loan from Europe, that highlight pivotal moments in Nero’s life, such as artifacts destroyed in the fire of Rome, rare manuscripts, jewels, slave chains, and treasure hidden during the destruction of Colchester by Boudicca and her Iceni tribe in AD 60-61. Alongside these sensational displays, the exhibition will explore the real story behind Nero’s rule by incorporating new research and archeological discoveries that shed a more accurate light on his legacy. I'm really looking forward to being able to revisit the museum after 5 months of lockdown and take in this exciting new exhibition. Stay tuned for my upcoming review! The British Museum will officially re-open on May 17th. Visitors can book free tickets to view the museum’s permanent collection. Admission for Nero: The Man Behind the Myth costs: adults £20, members and under 16s are free. Tickets are currently available to book this exhibition. 

Love ancient Rome? Want to learn more about its emperors? We've got an issue for that!

Read about some of the ancient world's most notorious rulers:

Bad Rulers in Antiquity

     

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