The great fire of Rome breaks out and
destroys much of the city beginning on
July 18 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.
