of his reign and his subsequent reputation. This discussion falls naturally into two parts: the events of the fire itself, which raged for most of a week and destroyed much of the city, and the public reaction against Nero which followed, and which in turn led to Nero's persecution of Christians. This survey will be followed in turn by a broader consideration of the impact of the fire on the remainder of Nero's reign and on his enduring reputation.
The Great Fire broke out on the night of July 18, AD 64--a date of ominous symbolism, since according to tradition the Gauls had burnt Rome, centuries before, on July 19. The cause of the fire could not be determined then, and we cannot determine it now. Probably the specific cause of the fire is as irrelevant as Mrs. O'Leary's cow in the great Chicago fire eighteen centuries later. Urban fires were a common enough occurance; what made this one exceptional was the extent to which it spread. We are not told what the weather was like at the time, but given the time of year it was probably hot and dry, and certainly windy, conditions under which, in a crowded city of narrow streets, a fire could easily run out of control.
Rome had better firefighting service than much later cities. Private fire companies had carts equipped with a water supply, pumps, and hoses. These might be sufficient to put out a small fire, or to keep one from spreading to neighboring buildings, but they must have been quickly overwhelmed as the fire spread on the night of July 18, and no account mentions their use on that occasion.
Began in the Circus, where it adjoins the Palatine and Caelian hills. Breaking out in shops selling in-
flammable goods, and fanned by the wind, the con-
flagration instantly grew and swept the whole length of
the Circus. There were no walled mansions or temples,
or any other obstructions, which could arrest it.
First, the fire swept violentl...