1 Nero, 'Bad' or 'Good'? Introduction ; Biography ; Demonstration ; Rationalisation ; Reassessment ; Caveats ; Initial success ; Senatorial tradition ; Nero and the Senate (i) ; Achievements
2 Agrippina and her legacy. Introduction ; Life and career to the accession of Nero ; Long-term planning ; 'Queen mother' ; The Acte affair ; Legacy
3 The establishment team. Introduction ; The team ; Consilium
4 Dissimulation? Delegation ; Dissimulation and dissidence? ; Paradox and confusion? ; Doublespeak? ; A carnival of fear? ; The problem of the sources ; The problem of prejudice: the strength of the Principate ; Nero and the Senate (ii) ; Exclusion ; The power of gossip ; Dissimulation?
5 Frankness and enquiry. Nero ; Neronian literature ; Saying the unsayable ; Wider Neronian culture ; Protected Nero
6 Warfare and the generals. Introduction ; Armenia (i) ; The New Order and Britain ; The Black Sea ; Armenia (ii) ; The generals ; The Caucasus and Judaea ; Conclusion
7 Politics. Power-groups ; Seneca's De clementia: Stoicism and politics ; Nero's team and its aims ; Nero's break-outs
8 Killer? I: 54-62. Introduction ; Claudius ; M. Junius Silanus ; Britannicus ; Agrippina ; The Year 62 ; Conclusion
9 Killer? II: 62-68. Introduction ; D. Junius Silanus ; The Pisonian conspiracy ; Poppaea ; Antonia ; The last killings ; Conclusion
10 Arsonist, persecutor and ruthless property developer? Arson: The case for ; Arson: The case against ; Why Nero? ; Christians as scapegoats ; The Golden House
11 Divinity, madness, acting, ideology, burn-out. Divinity ; Madness? ; Acting ; Ideology ; Burn-out?
12 Depravity? Introduction ; Indiscipline ; Lust ; Extravagance and avarice ; Cruelty
13 Finance. Introduction ; Problems ; Solutions ; The legacy of Helius
14 Entr'acte: Greece. Introduction ; Greece ; Philhellenism ; Ideology ; Inducements ; Chronology ; Helius ; 'Triumph'
15 Fall. Introduction ; The lull before the storm ; Vindex ; Galba ; Macer ; Verginius Rufus ; Desertion ; Death
