The Emperor Nero by Barrett Anthony A.; Fantham Elaine; Yardley John C

Author:Barrett, Anthony A.; Fantham, Elaine; Yardley, John C.
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 2016-09-19T16:00:00+00:00

VI

THE GREAT FIRE

INTRODUCTION

The major fire that broke out in Rome in AD 64 marked an important turning point in Nero’s reign and had political repercussions that went far beyond the immediate effects of the fire itself. By 64, Nero had already exhibited erratic and autocratic behavior. But up to that point, there is no evidence of general disapproval. The devastation of the fire caused an enormous drop in his broader popularity, and the huge cost of reconstruction would almost certainly have alienated the wealthier classes in Italy and farther afield.

Rome had been subjected to continuous fires from at least the time of the first recorded one, after the sack of the city by the Gauls in 390 BC. The crowded nature of the city, with multistory buildings containing much flammable material, made such occurrences inevitable. But the fire of AD 64 stands out for its scale and ferocity. It broke out on the night of July 18–19 south of the Palatine, in the shops, with their flammable booths, that crowded the area of the Circus Maximus, and it spread north on the eastern side of the Palatine as far as the Esquiline. It came in two waves, lasting nine days in all. It supposedly reduced to rubble three of the fourteen districts into which Augustus had organized the city (allowance must be made for exaggeration), and only four districts escaped entirely. Temples, private homes, shops, and tenements all succumbed to the flames. Among the buildings destroyed was Nero’s new palace, known as the Domus Transitoria. The Campus Martius was apparently not affected, and its buildings were opened to homeless inhabitants of the city.

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