9 June AD 68
Nero commits suicide

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'What an artist the world is losing!' Nero's last words before stabbing himself in the neck reflect the emperor's increasing passion for performance and drama in the latter years of his reign. But his 'grand tour' of Greece in AD 66-67, when he takes part in staged competitions and artistic performances during which the audience is forbidden to leave their seats, plays an important part in undermining his position at Rome, where his behaviour is seen as demeaning to the role of emperor. Revolts among the legions and, eventually, the Praetorian Guard leave him without support and he chooses to kill himself before being killed.

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