Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger (c. 4 BC - AD 65), who was usually just called Seneca, was a Stoic philosopher from ancient Rome. He was also a politician, a playwright, and, in one work, a humorist. He lived during the time after Augustus. In Spain, Seneca was born in Corduba. He grew up in Rome and learned speech and philosophy there. He had an older brother named Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus and a nephew named Lucan. His father was Seneca the Elder. In 41 AD, Seneca was sent to the island of Corsica by Emperor Claudius as a prisoner. He was allowed to come back in 49 AD to work as a teacher for Nero. When Nero became emperor in 54, Seneca became his advisor. For the first five years of Nero's rule, Seneca and the praetorian prefect Sextus Afranius Burrus ran the government well. Over time, Seneca's power over Nero decreased. In 65, Seneca had to kill himself because he was accused of being involved in the Pisonian plot to kill Nero, even though he was probably not guilty. Many paintings have been made about his calm and stoic death.
