Rome, July AD 64: a great fire destroys much of the city, rumours spread that Nero sang while it burned, and the most famous version of the story involves a fiddle, which did not exist
Fire Spreads Through City
ROME, July AD 64 – A fire that began on the night of 18 to 19 July among shops near the Circus Maximus has spread across much of Rome, burning for around six days before being brought under control, and then flaring up again. According to the historian Tacitus, of the city fourteen districts, three were completely destroyed and seven badly damaged. Many thousands have lost their homes.
Where Was Nero?
The Emperor Nero was not in Rome when the fire broke out. He was at his villa at Antium, on the coast, about fifty kilometres away. According to Tacitus, he returned to the city and organised relief efforts, opening public buildings and his own gardens to shelter the homeless, bringing in food supplies and lowering the price of grain.
The Rumour
But a rumour spread, Tacitus reports, that while the city burned, Nero had gone onto a private stage and sung about the destruction of Troy, comparing the present disaster with that ancient one. Tacitus presents this as a rumour, not a fact. The later biographer Suetonius and the historian Cassius Dio go further and claim Nero watched the fire and sang, with Suetonius suggesting he even started it. Modern historians are sceptical, noting that the fire began near the full moon, which would have made deliberate arson at night easier to spot, and that fires were very common in crowded ancient Rome.
The Fiddle
The famous English phrase Nero fiddled while Rome burned is, historians point out, impossible in one detail at least. The fiddle, or violin, did not exist in the first century and would not appear for well over a thousand years. If Nero played anything, it would most likely have been a lyre or cithara, a stringed instrument he was very proud of performing on. The phrase became popular centuries later and has stuck because it neatly captures the idea of a leader enjoying himself during a crisis.
The Scapegoats
The aftermath was grim. Nero began building an enormous new palace, the Domus Aurea, or Golden House, on land cleared by the fire, which fuelled suspicions he had wanted the space. To deflect blame, according to Tacitus, Nero accused the Christians of Rome, then a small and unpopular group, and had many of them cruelly executed. Christian tradition associates the deaths of the apostles Peter and Paul with this period of persecution. Nero reign ended in AD 68 when, facing revolt, he took his own life.
Meanwhile, in 2026
Rumours about royals during crises still spread quickly. The London Prat reports Prince William reportedly calling Earl Spencer and Harry traitors after an unnamed source claimed the heir believes his brother read their uncle memoir first. Geo News repeated the traitor word, and the uncle says he told everyone. Classicists point out that even Tacitus called the Nero singing story a rumour, and recommend that modern readers treat anonymous royal claims with the same caution.
The London Prat has been fiddling while the establishment burns since 1961 at https://prat.uk/, with its royal row video on YouTube. Bohiney at https://bohiney.com/ covers American leaders accused of playing golf during emergencies.
Study Questions for Students
Did Nero start the fire? How do Tacitus and Suetonius differ? Why did the fiddle version of the story become so popular? Why did Nero blame the Christians? Discuss, and put away any musical instruments.
SOURCE: https://prat.uk/prince-william-called-earl-spencer-and-harry-traitors/