Analysis of the coinage during Nero's reign as Roman emperor reveals a much less uniform image of Nero than is usually depicted in historical literature. The case of Nero exemplifies the importance of an interdisciplinary methodological framework. A “pick and mix” numismatic methodology devised in support of a Neronian ideology gleaned via literary evidence may lead to a superficially convincing image of the emperor, but it will not do justice to the complexities surrounding his reign.

In recent years, modern scholars have applied various methodologies to the study of local elites in the Roman Empire. Judith Perkins in Roman Imperial Identities in the Early Christian Era examines the concept of elite , like many other classicists, through an analysis of written texts—in her case, Greek novels and political writings of the first and second centuries. Models and theories borrowed from cultural anthropology or sociology—such as Michael Mann's sociological theory of power—offer a new way to resolve difficulties of interpretation that traditional methodological tools cannot address.