Nicene Creeds: Origins?

[Archaea]

I know about Constantine setting up the conferences, but what about the theological debates during the conferences.

Does anybody have a good work that discusses what went on during those fourth century theological conferences.

I get my Church fathers mixed, so shoot me if I screw it up, but what were the beliefs as to God according to Origin, Jerome and others?

It seems odd that people now rely upon something that was dictated by an emperor wearing Sol Invictus to the conference. If Vladimir Putin or Hu JinTao dictated today a conference be convened to define a creed once and for all, how accurate do you believe the results would be?