The Roman emperor Domitian took great pleasure in being secluded in his room for hours and catching flies and stabbing them with pens

Domitian’s reign came to an end in 96 when he was assassinated by court officials. The same day he was succeeded by his advisorNerva. After his death, Domitian’s memory was condemned to oblivion by the Roman Senate, while senatorial authors such as Tacitus,Pliny the Younger and Suetonius published histories propagating the view of Domitian as a cruel and paranoid tyrant. Modern history has rejected these views, instead characterising Domitian as a ruthless but efficient autocrat, whose cultural, economic and political program provided the foundation of the peaceful 2nd century.