Great Fire of Rome

389:, there were no large buildings such as temples, or open areas of ground, to impede the conflagration. It then spread along the Palatine and Caelian slopes. The population fled first to areas unaffected by the fire and then to the open fields and rural roads outside the city. Looters and arsonists were reported to have spread the flames by throwing torches or, acting in groups, hindering measures being made to halt or slow the progress of the flames. Some groups responsible for throwing torches and stopping those from fighting the fire were reported to have claimed they were under orders to do so. The fire stopped after six days of continuous burning. However, it soon reignited and burned for another three days. 119: 402: 22: 442:, when the fire broke out. Nero returned to the city and took measures to bring in food supplies and to open gardens and public buildings to accommodate refugees. Of Rome's fourteen districts, three were completely devastated, seven more were reduced to a few scorched and mangled ruins and only four completely escaped damage. The 462:

For the city's reconstruction, Nero dictated new and far-sighted building rules, intended to curb the excesses of speculation and trace a new urban plan, which still can be discerned from the city layout today. He rebuilt much of the destroyed area, and had the ostentatious building complex known as

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where the Roman senators lived and worked. However, the open space in the middle of the Forum remained a shopping/meeting centre. The accusations of Nero having started the fire were further exacerbated by his quickness to rebuild burned neighbourhoods in the Greek style and to launch construction of

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Christians, blamed by Nero for the fire, were identified, arrested, and killed. Some, for the entertainment of spectators, were torn to pieces by hunting dogs, others were crucified in ways calculated to make them look ridiculous. According to St Jerome, the total number of Christians martyred by

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Tests into how fires spread have shown that large fires are able to create their own wind and this, combined with embers being blown to new buildings, could have caused the fire to spread further and could account for witnesses claiming that random fires started in houses that were away from the

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and including an extension of about 2.5 km), which came to include the Palatine, the slopes of the Esquiline (Opium) and part of the Celio. This may not have been a possible motive for the fire, as he could have requisitioned the necessary land anyway, and most was already in his possession.

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in AD 54 at the age of 17. His rule has commonly been associated with impulsiveness and tyranny but was, for the most part, liked by the general populace and only really disliked by the aristocracy. Early in his reign, he was heavily advised, but he slowly became more independent. In AD 59,

297:, covered the history of the empire between AD 14 and AD 96. However, much of the work has been lost, including the books covering events after AD 70. Tacitus was only eight years old at the time of the fire, but he was able to use public records and reports to write an accurate account. 356:

was also in charge of investigations into those who were illegally piping water away without paying a license fee to the state. Firefighters relied on blankets, buckets of water, vinegar, and demolition of buildings to put fires out.

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flames. As well as wind playing a factor in fire spread, those who had claimed to be under orders to stop people from fighting the fires never named the one who ordered them and they were also reported to have looted buildings.

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in the city, and they went to work trying to stop the flames by pouring buckets of water into buildings, trying to move flammable material from the fire's path, and even demolishing buildings to attempt to make a fire break.

385:. The night brought strong winds and the flames rapidly spread along the full length of the Circus. The fire expanded through an area of narrow, twisting streets and closely located apartment blocks. In this lower area of 1126:

to 96 (3.80 grams to 3.30 grams). He also reduced the silver purity from 99.5% to 93.5%—the silver weight dropping from 3.80 grams to 2.97 grams. He also reduced the weight of the

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Motivated by a desire to destroy the city, Nero secretly sent out men pretending to be drunk to set fire to the city. Nero watched from his palace on the Palatine Hill, singing and playing the lyre.

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Rumor had it that Nero had started the fire. Therefore, to blame someone else for it (and thus exonerate Nero from blame), the fire was said to have been caused by the already unpopular

152:. After six days, the fire was brought under control, but before the damage could be assessed, the fire reignited and burned for another three days. In the aftermath of the fire, 71% of 175:. Other contemporary historians blamed Nero's incompetence but it is commonly agreed by historians now that Rome was so tightly packed a fire was inevitable. 769: 992: 262:. After the Great Fire of Rome occurred in July AD 64, it was rumored that Nero had ordered the fire to clear space for a new palace, the 172: 1329: 443: 1297: 1131: 86: 58: 1177: 656: 538:

Nero sent out men to set fire to the city. There were unconfirmed rumors that Nero sang from a private stage during the fire.

65: 346:, which were not set up with equipment to fight fires. Carrying out repairs to the aqueducts was an ongoing task for the 39: 1411: 910: 885: 860: 835: 745: 720: 692: 1396: 1086: 975: 105: 1284: 72: 1371: 1406: 1376: 499: 54: 43: 541:

Nero was motivated to destroy the city so he would be able to bypass the senate and rebuild Rome in his image.

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To find the necessary funds for the reconstruction, Nero's government increased taxation. In particular heavy

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were tasked with guarding Rome during the day. By the time of the Great Fire of Rome, there were thousands of

1401: 1381: 285:. His exact birth date is unknown, but most sources place it in either AD 56 or 57. His two main works, the 1271: 1023: 479:

were imposed on the provinces of the empire. To meet at least a proportion of the costs, Nero devalued the

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from 40 per Roman pound to 45 (7.9 grams to 7.2 grams).Tulane Universirty hand-out, archived

1037: 148:) began on the 18th of July 64 AD. The fire began in the merchant shops around Rome's chariot stadium, 617: 586: 1386: 998: 531:

Nero openly sent out men to set fire to the city. Nero watched from the Tower of Maecenas on the

32: 79: 1334: 801: 266:. At the time of the fire Nero may not have been in the city but 35 miles away at his villa in 1011:

Nero at this time was at Antium and did not return to Rome until the fire approached his house

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blamed the devastation on the Christian community in the city, initiating the empire's first

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Fires in Rome were common, especially in houses, and fires that had occurred previously in

118: 8: 293: 1317: 1224: 1017: 763: 645: 524:, do not survive. At least six separate stories circulate regarding Nero and the fire: 411: 255: 1325: 1173: 1092: 1082: 971: 906: 881: 856: 831: 751: 741: 716: 688: 652: 468: 451: 406: 325: 287: 209: 512:, and Tacitus. The primary accounts, which possibly included histories written by 369:, the fire began in shops where flammable goods were stored, in the region of the 521: 513: 348: 532: 504:

The varying historical accounts of the event come from three secondary sources—

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Debris from the fire was used as fill for the nearby malaria-infested marshes.

483:, increasing inflationary pressure for the first time in the Empire's history. 480: 370: 343: 259: 247: 227: 215: 203: 149: 141: 1348: 1143: 1391: 1360: 1096: 755: 561: 454:

were damaged or destroyed. Also destroyed in the fire was the portion of the

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Egypt, Greece, and Rome: civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean

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