What was the name of the man who burned down rome and played a violin?

Question

was this a fairy tale...or did it really happen?

Answer 1

Supposedly Nero fiddled while Rome burned, but it would not be correct to imply that he started the fire. In fact, it's questionable that it was even possible for anyone to "fiddle" at that time:

The Great Fire of Rome
On the night July 18 to July 19, 64 the Great Fire of Rome erupted. The fire started at the southeastern end of the Circus Maximus in shops selling inflammable goods. (Tacitus, Annals 15.37).

How large the fire was is up for debate. According to Tacitus, who was 9 at the time of the fire, it spread quickly and burnt for nine days, destroying two thirds of the city. Only two other historians who lived through the period ever mentioned the fire. Suetonius, another anti-Nero historian, also mentions it (although he mentions nothing of Christians) and Pliny the Elder mentions it in passing. Other historians who lived through the period (including Jospehus, Dio Chrysostom, Plutarch, and Epictetus) make no mention of it. The only other account on the size of fire is an interpolation in a forged Christian letter from Seneca to Paul: "A hundred and thirty-two houses and four blocks have been burnt in six days; the seventh brought a pause." This account turns out to mean about a tenth of the city was burnt. Rome contained about 1,700 private houses and 47,000 apartment blocks.

It was said by Tacitus that Nero viewed the fire from the tower of Maecenas, and exulting, as Nero said, "with the beauty of the flames," he sang the whole time the "Sack of Ilium," in his regular stage costume. Rumours circulated that Nero had played his lyre and sang, on top of Quirinal Hill, while the city burned. (Tacitus, Ann. xv; Suetonius, Nero xxxvii; Dio Cassius, R.H. lxii.) In recent years, this turned to a legend that Nero had fiddled while Rome burned; although this is impossible as the fiddle had not yet been invented. It could be that "fiddled" is a metaphor and meant 'squandered' and thus can be interpreted as 'Nero squandered his time as Rome burned'. Other accounts depict him as not being in the city at the time (instead he was vacationing in his native Antium), rushing back on hearing news of the fire, and then organizing a relief effort.

What is historically known is that Nero opened his palaces to provide shelter for the homeless, and arranged for food supplies to be delivered in order to prevent starvation among the survivors. In the wake of the fire, he made a new urban development plan. Houses after the fire were spaced out, built in brick, and faced by porticos on wide roads. He built the complex known as the Domus Aurea along with many new gardens and statues. To find the necessary funds for the reconstruction, tributes were imposed on the provinces of the empire.

It is uncertain who or what actually was the cause of the fire. In a famously ambiguous sentence Tacitus says that Nero had self-acknowledged Christians arrested and condemned "not so much for incendiarism as for their hatred of the human race" (Tacitus, Annals 15.44). Other ancient sources (namely, Suetonius) favor Nero as the arsonist, but massive accidentally started fires were common in ancient Rome and this is probably no exception. In fact, Rome burned again under Vespasian and under Titus.

According to Tacitus, the confused population searched for a scapegoat and soon rumors held Nero responsible. The motivation attributed to him was intending to immortalize his name by renaming Rome to "Neropolis". Nero had to engage in scapegoating of his own and chose for his target a small Eastern sect called the Christians. He ordered known Christians to be thrown to the lions in arenas, while others were crucified in large numbers.

Gaius Cornelius Tacitus described the event:

"And so, to get rid of this rumor, Nero set up [i.e., falsely accused] as the culprits and punished with the utmost refinement of cruelty a class hated for their abominations, who are commonly called Christians. Nero’s scapegoats were the perfect choice because it temporarily relieved pressure of the various rumors going around Rome. Christus, from whom their name is derived, was executed at the hands of the procurator Pontius Pilate in the reign of Tiberius. Checked for a moment, this pernicious superstition again broke out, not only in Iudaea, the source of the evil, but even in Rome... Accordingly, arrest was first made of those who confessed; then, on their evidence, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much on the charge of arson as because of [their] hatred for the human race. Besides being put to death they were made to serve as objects of amusement; they were clothed in the hides of beasts and torn to death by dogs; others were crucified, others set on fire to serve to illuminate the night when daylight failed. Nero had thrown open his grounds for the display, and was putting on a show in the circus, where he mingled with the people in the dress of charioteer or drove about in his chariot. All this gave rise to a feeling of pity, even towards men whose guilt merited the most exemplary punishment; for it was felt that they were being destroyed not for the public good but to gratify the cruelty of an individual." - Tacitus, Annales, xv.44
It should be noted that other than this incident, there is no report of Nero abusing Christians or the Christian religion. It is unknown whether these so-called criminals were guilty or innocent. It is also unknown whether they were executed because they were Christian or if it was a coincidence. Some historians believe that Nero may have been temporarily influenced by his wife, Poppea, who was the protector of the Jewish community in Rome. There was significant Christian and Jewish tension and violence in the city and it was likely that Poppea sympathized with the Jewish side.

Most likely, this was an act of political desperation where Nero felt he needed to blame someone to satisfy public demands. After the fire, there was certainly economic hardship with much of the population homeless and jobless. Additionally, the laboring and wealthy now had a heavy tax burden to pay for the reconstruction of Rome. To quell the masses during this crisis, Nero may have chosen to scapegoat the unpopular Christian minority. Nonetheless, it is unlikely that Nero acted because of any personal hatred towards Christians (since he did not act against them before or after this event) or "to gratify [his] cruelty" (since he was known to dislike gladiatorial violence).

Answer 2

Nero. Rome was burnt on the night of July 18, 64 AD. It is a rumour that Nero was playing the lyre while Rome was burning. These rumours were never confirmed. In fact, Nero rushed to Rome from his palace in Antium (Anzio) and ran about the city all that first night without his guards directing efforts to quell the blaze.

Answer 3

Rome Hotelbye nowadays is certainly one of the most important tourist places of the entire world, as a result of incalculable immensity of their archaeological and art secrets, along with for the elegance of its unique traditions, the sweetness of their breathtaking views, and the majesty of their great parks. Among the things should see durante Rome is Campo de'Fiori. Campo de'Fiori is a square square south of Piazza Navona applied as a market place throughout the day, and party main for university students and tourists at night. The title indicates “field of flowers” and was first provided throughout the Middle Ages when the location was actually a meadow. Yet another place worth visit is The Roman Forum. Situated in the tiny valley between the Palatine and Capitoline Hills, The Roman Forum was for centuries the teeming heart of ancient Rome and today is a expansive ruin of architectural parts

Answer 4

The story (a fiction) was that the Emperor Nero played a fiddle while Rome burned. While it is possible that this fire was actually started by agents of the Emperor it is unlikely since it would have cost him - he owned a lot of property in the slums which were burned and he collected rents from a fair number of the people who died. It is more likely that this tragic fire was accidental and that his failure to provide adequate fire fighting militia to the slums was being criticized.

Answer 5

It was Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus Nero, Roman emperor, dead in 62 AD. Didn't play the violin (which was invented 14 centuries later), but rather a lyre/harp.

Answer 6

Nero. He didnt set the fire but he did play the violin while it burned. It is supposed to be true, but most probably just a legend.

Answer 7

It was Emperor Nero, in the year 60 A.D. He played the lyre and not the violin though.

Answer 8

Emperor "Nero fiddled while Rome burned".
Emperor Nero real. Rome burned real. It's history.

Answer 9

Nero

Answer 10

It was said that Nero fiddled while Rome burned, I am not sure he set the fire though.

Answer 11

Nero. He seemed like an asshole torwards the end of his life he broke up with his wife and went off with like 10 women