The article examines information from sources about the biography of M. Salvius Otho before he entered the struggle for power. His origin and family ties are traced, it is shown that his family, which was not distinguished by nobility, rose thanks to the patronage of Livia, Tiberius, and then Claudius. Otho himself, in his youth, was a participant in Nero’s entertainment, which later gave rise to stories about his dissolute behavior.
