A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

NERO NERO. 1161
view of intimating that he had thus violated the without a train, but the popular opinion made up
sanctity of a temple. (Eckhel, vol. v. pp. 160, 161.) for his diminished honours. This great battle,
which probably saved Rome, gave a lustre to the
name of Nero, and consecrated it among the recollections of the Romans.
Quid debeas, o Roma, Neronibus,
Testis Metaurum flumen et Hasdrubal
Devictus. Horat. Carm. iv. 4.
In B. C. 201, Nero and others were sent on a
mission to Ptolemaeus, king of Egypt, to announce
COIN OF NERIUS. the defeat of Hannibal, thank the king for his
fidelity to the Romans, and pray for his support if
NERO, was a cognomen of the Claudia Gens, they should be compelled to go to war with Phiwhich is said to signify, in the Sabine tongue lippus, king of Macedonia.
"fortis ac strenuus." (Sueton. Tib. Nero, 1; and The relationship of Nero to the other Claudii
the remarks of Gellius, xiii. 22.) does not appear. He was censor B. c. 204, with
1. TnB. CLAUDIUS NERO was one of the four sons M. Livius (Liv. xxix. 37).
of App. Claudius Caecus, censor B. C. 312. No- 3. C. CLAUDIus NERO was praetor B. C. 181,
thing is known of him except that he was the pa- and had the province of Sicily (Liv. xl. 18). He
ternal ancestor of the emperor Tib. Claudius Nero may be the son of No. 2.
Caesar. (Sueton. Ner. 3.) 4. APP. CLAUDIUS NERO was praetor B. C.
2. C. CLAUDIUS NERO (Liv. xxiv. 17), in the 195 (Liv. xxxiii. 43), with Hispania Ulterior as
fourth consulship of Q. Fabius Maximus, and the his province. Nothing is recorded of his operathird of M. Marcellus, B. C. 214, commanded a tions in Spain, and it is doubtful if he went there,
body of cavalry under the consul Marcellus. He for the fear of a Spanish war soon subsided. In
was instructed to attack the rear of Hannibal's B. c. 189, he was one of ten commissioners (legati)
army near Nola, but lie either lost his way or had who were sent into Asia to settle affairs. (Liv.
not time to come up, and he was not present in xxxvii. 55.)
the engagement in which the consul defeated Han- 5. TIB. CLAUDIUS NERO was praetor B. c. 204
nibal, for which he was severely rated by Marcellus. (Liv. xxix. 1 ), and had Sardinia for his province.
He is evidently the C. Claudius Nero who was He may have been the son of No. 2. In B. C. 202
praetor in the year but one after (Liv. xxv. 1, 2), lie was consul with M. Servilius Geminus (Liv.
and was stationed at Suessula, whence he was sum- xxx. 26), and he obtained as his province Africa,
moned by the consuls Q. Fulvius III. and Appius where he was to have the command against HanClaudius (B. C. 212) to assist at the siege of Capua. nibal conjointly with P. Cornelius Scipio. But he
(Liv. xxv. 22, xxv. 5.) Nero was sent in the was not present at the battle of Zama. A violent
same year into Spain (Liv. xxvi. 17; Appian, storm attacked his fleet soon after he set out, and
Hispan. 17) with a force to oppose Hasdrubal. he put in at Populonii. He thence passed on to
He landed at Tarraco (Tarragona), but Hasdrubal Ilva (Elba), and to Corsica. In his passage to
eluded his attack, and P. Cornelius Scipio was sent Sardinia his ships suffered still more, and he finally
to command in Spain. Nero commanded as legatus put into Carales (Cagliari) in Sardinia, where he
(Liv. xxvii. 14) under Marcellus B. C. 209, and the was obliged to winter, and whence he returned to
battle in which Hannibal was defeated near Canu- Rome in a private capacity, his year of office having
slum (Canosa). In B. C. 207, Nero was consul with expired. (Liv. xxx. 39.)
M. Livius II. Nero marched into the south of 6. Tin. CLAUDiLJS NERao, praetor, B. C. 178, had
Italy against Hannibal, whom he defeated and the Peregrina Jurisdictio, but he was sent to Pisae
pursued. In the mean time Hasdrubal, who was with a military command to take care of the proin the north of Italy, sent messengers to Hannibal, vince of M. Junius the consul, who was sent into
who was retreating to Metapontum, followed by Gallia to raise troops (Liv. xli. 98), and his comNero. The messengers were taken by the Romans, mand there was extended. (Liv. xli. 18.) In B. c.
and the contents of their despatches being read, 172 he was sent on a mission into Asia. (Liv. xlii.
Nero determined not to confine himself to the limits 19.) Tib. Claudius was praetor again in B.C. 165,
of his command, but to march against Hasdrubal, with Sicily for his province. (Liv. cxv. 16.)
who was intending to effect a junction with Han- 7. TIB. CLAUDIUS NERO served under Cnu.
nibal in Umbria. Ile communicated his design to Pompeius Magnus in the war against the pirates,
the Roman senate, and instructed them how to act. B. C. 67. (Florus iii. 6; Appian, MIithridat. 95.)
Nero joined his colleague M. Livius in Picenum. He is probably the Tib. Nero mentioned by SalA sanguinary battle was fought with Hasdrubal on lust (Bell. Cat. 50) and by Appian (B. C. ii. 5),
the river Metaurum, in which Hasdrubal fell: in who recommended that the members of the conno one battle in the campaign with Hannibal was spiracy of Catiline, who had been seized, should be
the slaughter so great. Nero returned to his camp kept confined till Catiline was put down, and they
in the south, taking with him the head of Hasdru- knew the exact state of the facts.
bal, which he ordered to be thrown before the posts 8. TIB. CLAUDIUS NERO, the father of the emof Hannibal, and he sent him two of his captives to peror Tiberius, was probably the son of No. 7. He
tell him what had befallen his brother and his army. was a descendant of Tib. Nero [see above, No. 1], the
(Liv. xxvii. 41-51; Appian, Annibal. 52, &c.) son of App. Claudius Caecus. He served as quaestor
Nero shared in the triumph of his colleague, but as under C. Julius Caesar (B. c. 48) in the Alexandrine
the battle was fought in his colleague's province, war(B. Al. 25; Dion Cass. xlii. 40), and commanded
Livius rode in a chariot drawn by four horses fol- a fleet which defeated the Egyptian fleet at the
lowed by his soldiers; Nero rode on horseback, Canopic mouth of the Nile. He was rewarded for his