Richard Holland challenges the preconceptions which cloud our understanding of Nero and his world by exposing the myths and misinformation. He presents a man with powers of life and death over the 'civilized' world, a product of his era. History is an exercise in understanding, not an excuse for moralising. Holland embraces the psychological and sociological subtext, demonstrating, lucidly, the problems facing a student of ancient history. Depending on its quantity and quality, the biographer is launched into speculation and surmise, and can fall prey to subjective illusions.
Objectivity is the first casualty.
Biography of an ancient figure can dissolve into pseudo-fiction. The Man Behind the Myth is a real page-turner, in places as fast paced as a detective novel. Holland explains, clarifies, and interprets, without patronising. He deconstructs the morality of Roman politics. Its Empire stretched from Spain to Egypt, and was ruthlessly centralised.