Roman Empire Conspiracy Theories

• Roman historians were themselves intrigued by five major conspiracies and two theories, whilst modern historians are intrigued the death of Romulus.

Conspiracies that intrigued the Romans

• Actual Conspiracies (5):
  • Plots that were foiled:
    • The Bacchanalian Affair (186 BCE): Livy
    • The Pisonian Conspiracy (65 BCE): Tacitus
    • The Catiline Conspiracy (63-62 BCE): Sallust
  • Plots that were successful:
    • The Assassination of Caligula (41 CE): Josephus
    • The Assassination of Julius Caesar (44 BCE): Appian

• Conspiracy Theories (2):
  • Great Fire of Rome (64 CE):
    • The Romans believed Nero started it and then blamed the Christians in order to persecute them.
  • Death of Nero (68 CE):
    • The Eastern Empire never believed Nero was dead resulting in a series of Nero Impersonators and the Nero Redivivus Legend.

Conspiracies that intrigue historians today

• Romulus
  • The mysterious Death of Romulus, first King of Rome.