[Prev Page][Contents][Next Page]

Julio-Claudian Emperors

Fires, Friends, Foes

In the year 64 a fire broke out in a slum district of Rome near the river. It quickly burned out of control, spreading to other districts. It burned all day and all night, and by the next day much of the city was on fire.

Acre after acre went up, and the blaze could be seen from miles away. Another day past, and another, and still little could be done. The Great Fire of Rome lasted for a full week, and when it was done, whole districts were reduced to rubble. The damage was so great, some feared the city would never recover.

The event would show the best and worst in Nero. He was out of the city when the fire started, but he returned as soon as he could. He opened up his own palace to house those made homeless, and did what he could to help in the re-building. But this was Nero, and he would not be Nero without being frivolous. So moved was he by the sight of Rome burning that he composed a song on the spot, on the theme of the burning of Troy (remember, Romans believed their city was founded by Trojans). Nero did not play the fiddle while Rome burned, the violin not having been invented yet, but he probably played the lyre while composing his song, giving rise to the legend and a memorable image.

With such terrible destruction, it was natural that people should seek a scapegoat, and almost immediately people began to say that Nero was behind it. The rumors were strengthened when it was learned that Nero purchased 120 acres in the very slum area where the fire had started, and was planning to build an enormous palace. Clearly, people said, Nero had started the fire intending that the slums should burn so he could buy the land cheaply, but the fire had gotten out of control.

A great many people died in that fire, and a great many more were ruined. The rumors flew, and the mood of the populace grew ugly indeed. Nero began to be concerned. Even the Praetorian Guard might no be reliable in the present situation. There is no evidence that Nero was behind the fire at all; in truth, it seems unlikely. But so great was the dislike for Nero, that everyone readily believed it.

At this point, Nero's primary advisor, Tigellinus, made an interesting suggestion to the emperor. The wrath of the mob needed to be turned away from the emperor, he said; a new scapegoat should be found. It had to be believable, and it had to be defenseless.

The Christians would serve admirably. They were a small sect, disliked by most Romans, and suspected in rumor of all sorts of crimes including disloyalty to the state. It would be just like them.

So, Tigellinus' men began to spread the rumor. When the noise grew loud enough, Nero made a big show of arresting a number of Christians and executing them. Although most Romans were astute and cynical enough to realize what Nero was doing, the gesture was sufficient to defuse the very real threat of rioting, and so the crisis past.

This, then, was the occasion of the first persecution of Christians under the Roman Empire. It was a pointless, sorry affair, typical of many of Nero's actions. But it was not really of the same character as later persecutions, that really did aim at the eradication of the Christian sect. All Nero wanted was to have someone to take the blame.

For a memorable account of the Great Fire, you could read the book Quo Vadis. The book was made into a movie in the 1950s, with all the strengths and weaknesses of that era's historical dramas. Still, Peter Ustinov played a delightful Nero, and the movie is worth seeing just for his performance.