ABSTRACT
Tacitus brought the fourteenth book of his Annals to a close on an ominous note. This book recounts Octavia's banishment and her cruel death, the historian points up the sudden savagery of an Emperor who, although previously far from faultless, had generally refrained from such barbaric cruelty. This chapter observes that Nero was not previously noted for excessive cruelty, despite his sometimes rash and reckless conduct. Nero's cultural interests had now become a matter of self-indulgence that was unacceptable to traditionalists; he obviously realised that what he was doing was unpopular with many, and made plans to take his performances where he thought that they would be truly appreciated mainland Greece. In AD 66, Nero left for Greece, in the company of a court that included Calvia Crispinilla and Sporus. In Greece, he expected to find a more welcoming audience and, to them, as we have seen, his response was typically big-hearted, The Liberation of Hellas.
