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Sporus
Sporus | |
|---|---|
| Died | 69 CE |
| Cause of death | Suicide |
| Occupation | Slave |
| Known for | Being castrated, marriage to the emperor Nero |
| Spouse(s) | Nero (married 66 or 67 CE, died 68 CE) |
Sporus (died 69 CE) was a young slave boy whom the Roman Emperor Nero had castrated and married as his Empress during his tour of Greece in 66–67 CE, allegedly in order for him to play the role of his wife, Poppaea Sabina, who had died the previous year.[1][2][3][4]
Ancient historians generally portrayed the relationship between Nero and Sporus as an "abomination";[5] Suetonius places his account of the Nero–Sporus relationship in his "scandalous accounts of Nero's sexual aberrations," between his raping a Vestal Virgin and committing incest with his mother.[3] Some think Nero used his marriage to Sporus to assuage the guilt he felt for allegedly kicking his pregnant wife Poppaea to death.[6] Dio Cassius, in a more detailed account, writes that Sporus bore an uncanny resemblance to Poppaea and that Nero called Sporus by her name.[4]
- ^ Ancient History Sourcebook: Suetonius: De Vita Caesarum – Nero, c. 110 C.E.
- ^ Cassius Dio Roman History: LXII, 28 – LXIII, 12–13
- ^ a b Champlin, 2005, p. 145
- ^ a b Smith, 1849, p. 897
- ^ Champlin, 2005, p. 149.
- ^ Champlin, 2005, pp. 108–109
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