The Burning of Rome, 64 AD The Burning Of Rome, 64 A.D. Printer Friendly Version >>> Emperor Nero During the night of July 18, 64 AD, fire broke out in the merchant area of the city of Rome. Fanned by summer winds, the flames quickly spread through the dry, wooden structures of the Imperial City. Soon the fire took on a life of its own consuming all in its path for six days and seven nights. When the conflagration finally ran its course it left seventy percent of the city in smoldering ruins. Rumors soon arose accusing the Emperor Nero of ordering the torching of the city and standing on the summit of the Palatine playing his lyre as flames devoured the world around him. These rumors have never been confirmed. In fact, Nero rushed to Rome from his palace in Antium (Anzio) and ran about the city all that first night without his guards directing efforts to quell the blaze. But the rumors persisted and the Emperor looked for a scapegoat. He found it in the Christians, at that time a rather obscure religious sect with a small following in the city.

To appease the masses, Nero literally had his victims fed to the lions during giant spectacles held in the city's remaining amphitheater. From the ashes of the fire rose a more spectacular Rome. A city made of marble and stone with wide streets, pedestrian arcades and ample supplies of water to quell any future blaze. The debris from the fire was used to fill the malaria-ridden marshes that had plagued the city for generations. The Horror of Fire The historian Tacitus was born in the year 56 or 57 probably in Rome. He was in Rome during the great fire. During his lifetime he wrote a number of histories chronicling the reigns of the early emperors. The following eye witness account comes from his final work The Annals written around the year 116. ADVERTISMENT "...Now started the most terrible and destructive fire which Rome had ever experienced. It began in the Circus, where it adjoins the Palatine and Caelian hills. Breaking out in shops selling inflammable goods, and fanned by the wind, the conflagration instantly grew and swept the whole length of the Circus.

There were no walled mansions or temples, or any other obstructions, which could arrest it. First, the fire swept violently over the level spaces. Then it climbed the hills - but returned to ravage the lower ground again. It outstripped every counter-measure. The ancient city's narrow winding streets and irregular blocks encouraged its progress. Terrified, shrieking women, helpless old and young, people intent on their own safety, people unselfishly supporting invalids or waiting for them, fugitives and lingerers alike - all heightened the confusion. When people looked back, menacing flames sprang up before them or outflanked them. When they escaped to a neighboring quarter, the fire followed - even districts believed remote proved to be involved. Finally, with no idea where or what to flee, they crowded on to the country roads, or lay in the fields. Some who had lost everything - even their food for the day - could have escaped, but preferred to die. So did others, who had failed to rescue their loved ones. Nobody dared fight the flames. Attempts to do so were prevented by menacing gangs. Torches, too, were openly thrown in, by men crying that they acted under orders. Perhaps they had received orders.

Or they may just have wanted to plunder unhampered. Ancient Rome highlighting the Forum Nero was at Antium. He returned to the city only when the fire was approaching the mansion he had built to link the Gardens of Maecenas to the Palatine. The flames could not be prevented from overwhelming the whole of the Palatine, including his palace. Nevertheless, for the relief of the homeless, fugitive masses he threw open the Field of Mars, including Agrippa's public buildings, and even his own Gardens. Nero also constructed emergency accommodation for the destitute multitude. Food was brought from Ostia and neighboring towns, and the price of corn was cut to less than � sesterce a pound. Yet these measures, for all their popular character, earned no gratitude. For a rumor had spread that, while the city was burning, Nero had gone on his private stage and, comparing modern calamities with ancient, had sung of the destruction of Troy. By the sixth day enormous demolitions had confronted the raging flames with bare ground and open sky, and the fire was finally stamped out at the foot of the Esquiline Hill.

But before panic had subsided, or hope revived, flames broke out again in the more open regions of the city. Here there were fewer casualties; but the destruction of temples and pleasure arcades was even worse. This new conflagration caused additional ill-feeling because it started on Tigellinus' estate in the Aemilian district. For people believed that Nero was ambitious to found a new city to be called after himself. Of Rome's fourteen districts only four remained intact. Three were leveled to the ground. The other seven were reduced to a few scorched and mangled ruins." References: Duruy, Victor, History of Rome vol. V (1883); Grant, Michael (translator), Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome, (1989) How To Cite This Article: "The Burning of Rome, 64 AD," EyeWitness to History, (1999). Nero became Emperor in the year 54 at the age of 16. He quickly distinguished himself by murdering his mother and his wife and establishing a Reign of Terror over Rome.

He committed suicide in 68 after the Roman Senate declared him an "enemy of the State." During the reign of the Emperor Trajan, Tacitus was made Governor of Western Anatolia. After discovering a plot against him, Nero vowed to rid Rome of all philosophers. Seneca, his teacher and mentor, was forced to commit suicide in the year 65. The Great Fire of Rome | Background | Secrets of the Dead | PBS The Great Fire of Rome Background Explore more from this episode More The emperor Nero ruled from 54 to 68 AD, when he lost his power and committed suicide. Though the infamous emperor Nero ruled Rome for less than two decades, his reign witnessed tremendous changes to the empire’s capital city. Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus — more often known as Nero — was a great-grandson of Caesar Augustus. When he was a child, he and his mother, Agrippina, were exiled by Agrippina’s brother, emperor Gaius Caligula, to the tiny Pontian Islands. Two years later, however, the banishment was lifted when Agrippina’s uncle, Claudius, took hold of the empire.

Nero’s mother soon convinced Claudius to marry her and make Nero his heir. In 54 A.D., Claudius was murdered, purportedly a victim of poisonous mushrooms given to him by Agrippina. Nero became the emperor of Rome at age 16. Several years later, Nero had his power-hungry mother moved to a separate residence; shortly thereafter, he allegedly had her killed. There was no end to Nero’s ambition. One of his grandest plans was to tear down a third of Rome so that he could build an elaborate series of palaces that would be known as Neropolis. The senate, however, objected ardently to this proposal. Exactly what happened next has remained a mystery for nearly 2,000 years. On the night of July 19, 64 A.D., a fire broke out among the shops lining the Circus Maximus, Rome’s mammoth chariot stadium. In a city of two million, there was nothing unusual about such a fire — the sweltering summer heat kindled conflagrations around Rome on a regular basis, particularly in the slums that covered much of the city.

Knowing this, Nero himself was miles away in the cooler coastal resort of Antium. Yet this was no ordinary fire. The flames raged for six days before coming under control; then the fire reignited and burned for another three. When the smoke cleared, 10 of Rome’s 14 districts were in ruin. The 800-year-old Temple of Jupiter Stator and the Atrium Vestae, the hearth of the Vestal Virgins, were gone. Two thirds of Rome had been destroyed. A crumpled iron gate, melted by the force of Rome’s great fire. History has blamed Nero for the disaster, implying that he started the fire so that he could bypass the senate and rebuild Rome to his liking. Much of what is known about the great fire of Rome comes from the aristocrat and historian Tacitus, who claimed that Nero watched Rome burn while merrily playing his fiddle. Gangs of thugs prevented citizens from fighting the fire with threats of torture, Tacitus wrote.

There is some support for the theory that Nero leveled the city on purpose: the Domus Aurea, Nero’s majestic series of villas and pavilions set upon a landscaped park and a man-made lake, was built in the wake of the fire. “It would have been seen as very inappropriate on the part of the elite in Rome,” says art historian Eric Varner. “They would have been happy if Nero had built the Domus Aurea out in the country, but to do it here in the city really was an extraordinary kind of statement.” Tacitus was a member of this Roman elite, and whether there is a bias in his writing is difficult to know. Indeed, Tacitus was still a boy at the time of the fire, and he would have been a young teenager in 68 A.D., when Nero died. Nero himself blamed the fire on an obscure new Jewish religious sect called the Christians, whom he indiscriminately and mercilessly crucified. During gladiator matches he would feed Christians to lions, and he often lit his garden parties with the burning carcasses of Christian human torches.

Yet there is evidence that, in 64 A.D., many Roman Christians believed in prophecies predicting that Rome would soon be destroyed by fire. Perhaps the fire was set off by someone hoping to make the prediction come true. Twenty centuries later, is there a way to establish who or what started one of antiquity’s most destructive conflagrations? Is there any truth to Tacitus’s insinuation? Or to Nero’s? Archaeologists, historians, and contemporary fire investigators try to pinpoint the cause of this monumental tragedy of the ancient world. The Great Fire of Rome (Bible History Online) The Great Fire of Rome Brief overview of the events surrounding the Great Fire of Rome In a hot July summer of 64 A.D., a fire broke out near the Capena Gate (the marketplace near the Circus Maximus) and spread quickly across the entire Circus, and finally it was completely out of control, the fire destroyed nearly half of Rome. The Roman historian Tacitus records the event: "First, the fire swept violently over the level spaces. Then it climbed the hills-but returned to ravage the lower ground again. It outstripped every counter-measure. . .

Terrified, shrieking women, helpless old and young, people intent on their own safety, people unselfishly supporting invalids or waiting for them, fugitives and lingerers alike--all heightened the confusion." As the fire blaze out of control some citizens tried every measure to put out the flames. It is told that the citizens were stopped. Also some of the mob lit torches and threw them into the flames to feed the fire. Tacitus make an interesting note about these arsonists who had claimed "they acted under orders. Perhaps they had ... or they may just have wanted to plunder unhampered." Nero heard the news from his Palace at Antium and rushed to Rome just in time to see the Palatine Palace in flames. His newly built mansion, the Domus Transitoria, was nothing but a pile of smoldering ashes. Nero immediately organized a team of firefighters and provided shelter for the panic stricken people who had been left homeless. The fire burned for nine days, leaving 10 out of its 14 regions in ruins, with the loss of many lives.

Nero decided that he would place the blame on scapegoats, because there was a dangerous rumor that Nero himself had ordered the fire in order to vandalize the capital city, and to free up space for his new building plans. It is recorded that later he indeed take advantage of the situation and begin planning and building his Golden House. His scapegoats were none other than the Christians, who were already being accused in one way or another within Roman pagan society. This was officially the time that the active persecution of the Christian Church began. At some point soon after it became a crime to bear the name "Christian" and the suppression of the church became state policy. This persecution would last, off and on, for almost three centuries. Primary Sources for the Study of the Emperor Nero are: Tacitus, Dio Cassius, Suetonius, Christian and Jewish Tradition, and Archaeology. Nero The 5th Emperor (Princeps) of Rome (54-68 A.D.) Background The Roman Empire beyond Italy was divided into about 40 provinces (territories), with each province having its own governor who kept order and collected taxes for Rome. He was either appointed by the emperor or named by the Senate.

During the first century A.D. the Roman Empire was near its peak with a population of 50-60 million. This was more than 1/5 of the world's population at that time. Jesus lived and died during the period known in Roman history as the Pax Romana or the "Peace of Rome". It was an amazing time in history when the risen Jesus empowered His church to go into all the world to preach the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In fact the apostles journeyed throughout the Mediterranean world which was part of the Roman Empire. They traveled through Roman cities on Roman roads and everywhere that they traveled they came into contact with Rome. Julius Caesar had a dream for Rome but he was assassinated before he could see it fulfilled. The big problem was who would become the next emperor after his assassination. Very few had expected the young Octavian (Augustus) to become the chief heir and new emperor after Julius Caesar, but it was Augustus who turned out to be the most important emperor in all of Roman history. Augustus was very aware of what had happened with Julius Caesar, and desired to avoid the same problems with the Roman Senate.

He wanted his stepson Tiberius to be emperor after his death and to make sure that this would happen he began to share his power with Tiberius. When Augustus died in 14 A.D. Tiberius was easily accepted as emperor. In fact this became the new way that emperors would be chosen. Each emperor would choose a successor from among his family or he would adopt someone who he thought would be fit to rule after him. During the 200 years after the death of Augustus, four dynasties (family lines) ruled the Roman Empire. Some of the emperors in each dynasty were somewhat moral emperors and others were horribly cruel. Each of the four dynasties ended with a violent overthrow of an unfit emperor. Augustus� family line ended in disgrace in 68 A.D. with the Emperor Nero, who came to power when he was a young boy at the age of 17. Nero Claudius Caesar was born in December of 37 A.D. at Antium and reigned as the fifth emperor (Princeps) of Rome, from 54-68 A.D.

under the political system created by Augustus after Civil War had finally put an end to the Roman Republic. Throughout the early years of his rule Nero was directed by his tutors (including the famous writer Seneca) and there was peace throughout the Empire. The Emperor Nero loved performing in the Theatre, races and games. He was not respected by the senators or the army. He was criticized by the people of Rome for being more interested in entertaining himself than in governing the empire. However, when his main advisors had either retired, or were dead, Nero revealed his true character. It did not take long for the people to realize that Nero was a tyrant. In 59 A.D. Nero executed his mother, his wife, Claudius�s son Britannicus, and several of his advisors and anyone that opposed him was executed. In 64 A.D. a devastating fire swept through Rome destroying everything in its path. Everyone thought that Nero had started the fire so that he could rebuild a more beautiful city, including his Golden House. According to the Roman historian Suetonius, Nero sang and played the lyre while Rome burned.

When Nero felt that the rumor had turned everyone against him he found some scapegoats to bare the blame for the fire, the Christians. He punished them severely and had many of them burned alive or torn apart by wild beasts. It is believed that the apostles Paul and Peter were martyred during this persecution. There were many who sought Nero�s death and in 68 A.D. his own army rebelled against him and various military commanders attempted to seize the throne. The Emperor Nero was forced to flee from Rome and soon afterward he committed suicide. He was the last emperor who was of the dynasty of Augustus (Julio-Claudian dynasty).

The main people involved in the life of Nero were: - Nero Himself - Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus - Agrippina - Nero's dominating mother - Claudius - The emperor before Nero - Octavia - Claudius' daughter and Nero's first wife - Britannicus - Claudius' son and rightful heir to the throne - Seneca and Burrus - Nero's trusted tutors - Poppaea - Nero's second wife - Galba - General in Spain and the next emperor of Rome Important events that happened during the life of Nero: - The Great Fire of Rome � 64 A.D. - The First Imperial 'Persecution' of Christians � 64 A.D. - The first Jewish Revolt Against Rome � 66 A.D. The main historical sources about the life of Nero were: - Tacitus Tacitus Publius Cornelius (55-120 A.D. approx.) - Suetonius Svetonius Tranquillus (70-140 A.D. approx.) - Cassius Dio Dion Cassius Cocceianus (155-235 A.D.

approx.) - Jewish and Christian Tradition Nero Blames Great Roman Fire On Christians (Part 1) - 64 AD (Church History) | Priceless Eternity Blog Nero Blames Great Roman Fire On Christians (Part 1) - 64 AD (Church History) This is the first part in a four part series. The year was 64 AD, and a great fire was sweeping through the streets of Rome. The fire burned for days, destroying a large portion of the city. Not only did it cut a path of ash through the city, but it also ignited a major persecution of Christianity. It had been just over 30 years since the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. During those years, Christianity had expanded quickly, reaching cities far beyond Jerusalem. In fact, Christianity had reached the very heart of the Roman Empire: Rome itself. The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Romans to... you guessed it: the church in Rome. The common Christian belief is that Paul wrote Romans somewhere between 56 AD to 60 AD. This means that the book of Romans was written shortly before the great fire in Rome of 64 AD.

Perhaps many Christians in Rome were familiar with the book of Romans when the fire swept through the city on that dark, and yet blazing July 19th night. This, however, is not the only reasons why the great fire is an important event in church history. The fire also marked the beginning of a major persecution of Christianity. In this persecution, some think that the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul were martyred (although some believe that Paul lived past 64 AD, reaching Spain, where he continued spreading the gospel). Tacitus (an ancient, secular historian, born in 56 AD) wrote the following about the great fire in Rome (I have added additional commentary in brackets for clarity's sake): “Consequently, to get rid of the report [that Nero started the fire], Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called Christians by the populace. ( source ) If you are unfamiliar with Roman History, you are probably wondering: Who is this Nero guy? Here is a brief synopsis: Nero was the fifth emperor of the Roman Empire. Nero was so hated among many in Rome that some thought that he was the one who had started the destructive fire.

In order to "get rid of the report" that he started the fire, he had to find someone to blame. And who did he decide the blame? The Christians. The great fire of Rome The Great Fire of Rome This article on the Great Fire of Rome will take two stepped approach: the more traditional approach considering the information we have about the event, the circumstances and impact of the fire and the inevitable debate of whether Nero did it or not. Did he really play his lyre ? We take the opportunity to look at some recent world events, drawing interesting parallels between Nero�s great fire of Rome in 64AD and the fires, lootings and uprisings in London during August 2011. Fires were not new to ancient Rome, in fact they were relatively frequent in a city where multi-storey apartment blocks were built very close to one another, often propping each other up, with very narrow streets between them. For this very reason emperor Augustus had set up the first fire brigade corps of the city which was steadily strengthened by successive Roman emperors .

To add insult to injury the great fire of Rome of 64AD wasn�t the last either, in spite of a large number of urban reforms and regulations set in place by Nero in order to reduce future peril. There was another in 69AD just after Neros death under Vitellius (the year of the four Emperors ) and again in AD80 under emperor Titus . The great fire of Rome in AD 64 is perhaps the event for which Emperor Nero is best and most popularly remembered for, at least nowadays. To this day there are contradictory stories as to how it started and whether it might have been accidental or a consequence of arson. In the latter case who might have been responsible? It seems Nero himself was out of the city, enjoying the fresh air of the coast to the south of Rome because of the suffocating summer heat which was making life in the city uncomfortable. As soon as he was informed of the tragedy he is said to have immediately arranged for shelter in his own grounds, on the Vatican hill (where he had built a circus - completing one by Caligula ) and at other places around the city.

Over 200,000 people were left homeless and without food, for which he provided through the port of Ostia and imposed a lower price on grain. However, the rumours against him accumulated as did the witnesses for all camps, pro and against the emperor, pro and against the early Christians and others. Hindsight does suggest a number of certain details and outcomes: It seems certain that whilst the fire had started through accidental causes there were also a number of arsonists about and indeed people who were actively preventing the actions of those who might attempt to put the fire out. There could have been many motives; just as an example it was not unknown for "developers" to provoke fires in order to burn buildings down then buy the remains to rebuild them and resell at a high margin. Of course once the fire was started there would have been many who would have taken advantage of the situation even for their own particular interests, for looting or simple religious or socio-political motive: this sort of behavior is clearly visible even in modern disaster situations. The huge debt left behind by these events seriously affected the Roman economy . Nero�s devaluation of Roman coinage was the beginning of a continuing landslide through to the fall of the Roman empire .

The very contrasting viewpoints regarding Nero�s role are a percolated result of history: written by the likes of Suetonius and Tacitus both of whom were clearly against Nero, not to mention the Christians who took over the empire in its dying stages and clearly didn�t have a great love for the emperor; Furthermore Nero lived on in popular Roman myth as a leader who would return, interpreted by Christians as the expected return of the antichrist: not the sort of character you would want to portray in a positive light. So did Nero cause the great fire of Rome? It would also seem Nero was not at Rome at the time, but was staying at Antium, though clearly being the emperor that is hardly an alibi since orders could have been given to others to physically light the fire whilst he be away. It does suggest however that he was unlikely to be sitting at home watching the fire and playing his lyre (and he certainly wasn�t playing the fiddle since fiddles didn�t exist at the time).

The answer to the question is "probably no": it started relatively far away, almost a mile from where Nero wanted to build his golden house and he would have likely done it in such a way as to avoid burning his own palace from which he salvaged much artwork and precious materials for the new palace. Could it have been arsonists or pyromaniacs? Possibly. Though it wasn�t the most ideal night on which to do it given that the moon was strong and would have given visibility. Nevertheless once rumours were spread against Nero, the emperor preferred to pursue the arson line of thinking by blaming it on the Christians who had already been persecuted under emperor Tiberius but whom during his reign had enjoyed relative freedom to preach. It was most probably an accident, a fire like those which frequently occurred in the city: a simple torch or oil lamp left alight in a workshop. In fact other great fires occurred later in Rome�s history, after Nero: once on the year of Nero�s death in AD69 ( year of the four Emperors ) under Vitellius and then again in AD80 under emperor Titus . Though the emperors didn�t get the blame these times round. What happened and how did the Great fire of Rome evolve ?

The fire burst during a summer night, out in the area of the Campus Martius and Circus Maximus , possibly in some shops containing flammable materials or the grain stores of the area. It raged for six continuous days until the flames were suffocated under the city�s charred ruins. The worst hit quarters were those where the plebeians and lower classes lived, packed close to one another, making it difficult to access the fire or to get water supplied. The summer dryness and wind did the rest. From the Circus Maximus it spread quickly up the Palatine hill , across the Esquiline and into the lower class "suburra" (a sort of Soho for those who know London or Amsterdam red light district). Only 4 out of the city�s 14 districts were left relatively intact including the Roman Forum and part of the Capitoline hill but otherwise almost � of ancient Rome, it�s palaces, Roman temples and public buildings had all been hit by raging fire.

A quick comparison of the great fire of Rome and the more recent London riots At the time of writing this article (shortly after the surprising events in London in 2011), experts, police and reporters are unable to pinpoint a single clear cause for the actions of so many people. In spite of the availability of copious video camera footage and live reporting it is difficult to determine whether the sudden "rave" atmosphere where youths who would normally have been law-abiding citizens repeatedly assembled to disseminate destruction, incendiary attacks and looting. A news article on the Financial Times on Aug 11th was aptly titled: "MIXED PICTURE EMERGES OF WHO RIOTERS ARE".

It outlines a scenario of: criminal gangs Many participants who had no prior criminal record including children as young as 11 and 12 Not linked to any particular race Few mentioned grievances, such as the abolition of some educational allowances An "underclass driven to looting because of economic despair" The quotes were also interesting: "It�s us versus them, the police, the system�" "This is purely acquisitive � it�s not social and economic but moral and cultural�." "We have to admit this is a new cultural phenomenon about which we know very little" The London events were triggered by an isolated event where a police control of a local person from a relatively poor area of the city degenerated into a gunfight and the person was shot dead. The riots which followed however though initially inspired by the peaceful demonstration mounted by the local population itself degenerated into a series of actions which had little to do with the initial event. Comparing the London riots with the great fire of Rome: Whilst we certainly cannot say that the great fire of Rome in AD64 followed the same set of mechanics it is fair to wonder whether similar mechanisms may have been at work.

Let�s imagine the following hypothesis: The fire breaks out by accident in a workshop, the city is ill-suited to fire control and after all, we already know that fires were extremely common in ancient Rome so a disaster was waiting to happen. However, social and economic conditions by the time of Nero had evolved to an extent that a sharp divide was generated between the wealthy and the poorer social classes. (Incidentally this would fit with Nero�s fixation on policies to assist the poorer end of society). As might be ascribed to London or to the Paris "banlieau" fires and indeed the spreading uprisings across northern Africa in 2010-2011 not to mention the large yet peaceful movement of "indignados" in Spain, we can imagine a broad section of society which has been reduced to a degree of poverty and loss of hope for the future such that they undertake collective action in a sometimes irrational and violent attempt to change their situation or at any rate a violent reaction. In the London case it exploded into an outbreak of materialism where the concept of legality was suspended in favour of personal material gain (looting). Might something similar have occurred in Rome?

Might it be that disaffected, abandoned portions of Roman society had by then reached such a degree of poverty that selling themselves into slavery might be their only option for a future and that therefore would care little but to take advantage of a blaze in order to wreak further destruction and looting of shops and property? The situation was almost uncontrollable in London where, in the end, 16000 police were brought in, the equivalent of a Roman legion. At the time of Nero such an enormous policing force was likely not available and certainly not trained and equipped to control such a situation. We can therefore imagine the subsequent blaming and finger-pointing whilst in the background, one of the many parties at play, the Christians were chiming and cheering "we told you so! God is punishing your evil pagan and materialistic ways! You deserve all you got". Guess who got persecuted.

Leaders and Caesars of Ancient Rome in chronological order : | ancient roman kings | tarquin | marius | sulla | rome julius caesar | augustus |The 12 Caesars | Emperor Tiberius | caligula | Emperor Claudius | Emperor Nero | Emperor Vespasian | Rome's Five Good Emperors | Hadrian | Roman Emperor Trajan | Emperor Constantine | Emperor Justinian | Other emperors of Ancient Rome | You might also have a look at what it was to be emperor or "imperator". A list of roman emperors . A glimpse at famous romans like emperor Nero and scaevola "the left handed". Please email us if you feel a correction is required to the Rome information provided. Please read the disclaimer Nero and the Burning of Rome | Brian Haughton.com Author of books on ancient civilizations and supernatural folklore Nero and the Burning of Rome Share Nero Nero is perhaps the most infamous of all Roman rulers, and is seen as one of the villains of the ancient world.Emperor of Rome from AD 54 to AD 68 Nero’s reign has been associated with extravagance, oppression and brutality.

Very few surviving ancient sources give favourable impression of him, he is said to have had his mother, adoptive brother and first wife Octavia executed, and, most famously of all, played his fiddle while the ancient city of Rome was burning to the ground. Some ancient sources blame the Emperor himself for starting the great fire of Rome in AD 64, and then afterwards blaming the Christians for the act. Is there any truth behind this story? And how reliable is the picture we have today of Nero as a deranged, sadistic tyrant? Building up a detailed picture of Nero’s life and reign is problematic as no contemporary sources have survived. Details of the Emperor’s life are based mainly on the Annals 12-16 of Tacitus (c AD 56 – cAD 117), Suetonius’ Life of Nero (AD 110) and the Roman History, Books 61-63, of Dio Cassius’ (cAD 150 – cAD 235).

Nero was born Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus on December 15, AD 37, in Antium, near Rome, the son of Cnaeus Domitius Ahenobarbus, a member of an ancient noble family. Through his mother Agrippina, he was a great-grandson and the only surviving male descendant of Caesar Augustus, the first Roman Emperor. When he was two years old Nero and his mother were banished by his brother the Emperor Caligula to the Pontian Islands (off the west coast of Italy) on charges of treason. In AD 40 Nero’s father died, leaving him the sole responsibility of Agrippina. After the murder of Caligula in AD 41 and the installation of Claudius (who was Agrippina’s uncle) as Emperor, Agrippina and Nero were recalled from exile. Claudius’s wife Valeria Messalina died in AD 48. The following year Agrippina persuaded the Emperor to marry her and make Nero his adopted son and heir, at the expense of his natural son Britannicus. From then onwards her son became known as Tiberius Claudius Nero Caesar.

Nero Emperor of Rome On 13 October, AD 54 Claudius died allegedly after eating some poison mushrooms given to him by Agrippina, and the same day, Nero, still only 16 years of age, succeeded to the throne. The following year Nero married Claudius’ daughter Octavia, though he soon became involved with the beautiful Poppaea Sabina, wife of his friend Marcus Salvius Otho. Agrippina, as mother of the new emperor, was at first a woman of great importance in Rome, and her portrait even appeared on some coins next to her son’s. But Nero did not wish to share power with anyone and soon had his mother moved to a separate house away from the imperial residence and the corridors of Roman power. What followed was a series of brutal assassinations allegedly arranged by Nero himself. In February of AD 55 Britannicus died at a dinner party in the palace – probably poisoned by Nero, who viewed the son of Claudius as a constant threat to his power. In AD 59, Agripinna was clubbed and stabbed to death on the orders of Nero.

The Emperor’s marriage to Octavia had never been a happy one and in AD 62 he divorced her and married Poppaea. Octavia was then banished to the island of Pandateria (modern Ventotene) on a false charge of adultery, probably on the insistence of the new empress Poppaea. She was later executed and her severed head sent back to Rome. The early years of Nero’s rule were, however, not known only for atrocities. Under the influence of his tutor and adviser Seneca (c4 BC – AD 65) and Praetorian prefect (Roman official, responsible for the imperial guard and the administration of justice) Burrus (AD 1 – AD 62) Nero often followed a somewhat liberal policy. He allowed slaves to file complaints against their masters, frequently gave criminals clemency rather than sign their death warrants, banned capital punishment, helped cities that had suffered from disasters, and lowered taxes. The Emperor also devoted himself to his long-held artistic and literary interests, organizing poetry competitions and singing to the harp, at first only for a private audience, but later on, much to the alarm of the Senate, in public too.

As Nero was emperor, no one was allowed to leave the auditorium during his performances, the historian Suetonius mentions women giving birth during Nero recitals, and of men faking death in order to be carried out. Nero’s Rome burns - Jul 18, 64 - HISTORY.com Nero’s Rome burns Publisher A+E Networks The great fire of Rome breaks out and destroys much of the city on this day in the year 64. Despite the well-known stories, there is no evidence that the Roman emperor, Nero, either started the fire or played the fiddle while it burned. Still, he did use the disaster to further his political agenda. The fire began in the slums of a district south of the legendary Palatine Hill. The area’s homes burned very quickly and the fire spread north, fueled by high winds. During the chaos of the fire, there were reports of heavy looting. The fire ended up raging out of control for nearly three days. Three of Rome’s 14 districts were completely wiped out; only four were untouched by the tremendous conflagration. Hundreds of people died in the fire and many thousands were left homeless.

Although popular legend holds that Emperor Nero fiddled while the city burned, this account is wrong on several accounts. First, the fiddle did not even exist at the time. Instead, Nero was well known for his talent on the lyre; he often composed his own music. More importantly, Nero was actually 35 miles away in Antium when the fire broke out. In fact, he let his palace be used as a shelter. Legend has long blamed Nero for a couple of reasons. Nero did not like the aesthetics of the city and used the devastation of the fire in order to change much of it and institute new building codes throughout the city. Nero also used the fire to clamp down on the growing influence of Christians in Rome. He arrested, tortured and executed hundreds of Christians on the pretext that they had something to do with the fire. Related Videos 64 AD great fire of Rome - Historum - History Forums 64 AD great fire of Rome User Name Need help with the website? Contact Us anytime.

General History General History Forum - General history questions and discussions Posts: 1,348 64 AD great fire of Rome The great fire of Rome breaks out and destroys much of the city on this day in the year 64. Despite the well-known stories, there is no evidence that the Roman emperor, Nero, either started the fire or played the fiddle while it burned. Still, he did use the disaster to further his political agenda. The fire began in the slums of a district south of the legendary Palatine Hill. The areaï¿½s homes burned very quickly and the fire spread north, fueled by high winds. During the chaos of the fire, there were reports of heavy looting. The fire ended up raging out of control for nearly three days. Three of Romeï¿½s 14 districts were completely wiped out; only four were untouched by the tremendous conflagration. Hundreds of people died in the fire and many thousands were left homeless. Although popular legend holds that Emperor Nero fiddled while the city burned, this account is wrong on several accounts. First, the fiddle did not even exist at the time.

Instead, Nero was well known for his talent on the lyre; he often composed his own music. More importantly, Nero was actually 35 miles away in Antium when the fire broke out. In fact, he let his palace be used as a shelter. Legend has long blamed Nero for a couple of reasons. Nero did not like the aesthetics of the city and used the devastation of the fire in order to change much of it and institute new building codes throughout the city. Nero also used the fire to clamp down on the growing influence of Christians in Rome. He arrested, tortured and executed hundreds of Christians on the pretext that they had something to do with the fire.

Question: Who was the Emperor of Rome at the time of the Great Fire in AD 64?
Answer: Nero