From Imperial Consort to Gladiatorial Victim
After Nero killed himself in 68 CE, Sporus passed like property to the next emperor, Otho, then to Emperor Vitellius. When Vitellius planned to humiliate Sporus by forcing him to play a rape victim in a public gladiator show, Sporus killed himself in 69 CE. His two years in historical records show how Romans viewed gender and power. While Romans generally looked down on eunuchs, imperial whims could override cultural rules.
