Nerva was named emperor almost immediately upon Domitian's death. With a senatorial background, albeit no military record or oratorical skills, he had political connections that he had developed from the time of Vespasian. His reign was brief but productive, and he is considered the first of the so-called Five 'Good' Emperors.
Nerva also wanted to maintain a balanced budget and he decided to abolish many of the public rituals of sacrifices, games and races. He would not allow any statues of himself made in gold or silver. He ushered in land reform and changed inheritance tax rules. He built granaries, repaired the Colosseum, and continued the road building and repair that the Flavians had begun. To reward veterans for their years of service to the state he established colonies in Africa.
One man whom Nerva trusted was Sextus Julius Frontinus. He became curator of the water supply for Rome, an office that had grown corrupt. Frontinus wrote a book about the water supply, De Aquaeductu Urbis Romae, giving us a wonderful insight into how the system worked.
Nerva died a natural death in A.D. 98 and was succeeded by his adopted son, Trajan.
Meet the emperors face-to-face here in A Portrait Gallery
Sources:
The Oxford Classical Dictionary
http://www.roman-emperors.org
-- J.Jahnige, November 2003 (revised 2006)
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