Nero Claudioius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, known to history as just Nero, was not the best Roman

emperor.

In fact, on most list of Roman emperors, he would probably rank somewhere near the bottom.

In no small part, this is due to how he reacted

after the greatest fire ever to engulf Rome and what he built in its aftermath.

Learn more about the Domus Orea or Nero's Golden House on this episode of sponsored by audible.com. My audiobook recommendation today is The Great Fire of Rome, the fall of the Emperor Nero and a city, by

Stephen Dando Collins. In the year 64 on the night of July 19th, a fire began beneath the

seats of Rome's Great Stadium, the Circus Maximus.

The fire would spread over the coming days to engulf much of the city of Rome.

From this calamity, one of the ancient world's most devastating events, legends grew. That Nero had been responsible for the fire

and fiddled while Rome burned, and that Nero blamed the Christians of Rome, burning them alive

and punishment, making them the first recorded martyrs to the Christian faith at Rome.

You can get a free one month trial to audible and two free audio books

by going to audibletrial.com slash everything everywhere or by clicking on the link in the show notes.

Nero came to power at the age of 16,

which is almost always a bad sign.

His stepfather, the Emperor Claudius, was believed to have been

poisoned by Nero's mother, Agrippina the younger. Five years later, Nero had his own

mother killed because he didn't want her to overshadow him. And again,

killing your own mother is not a good thing. For 10 years he was pretty much a

disappointment and very unpopular, especially with the upper class and the Roman

Senate. Nero thought himself a great singer and actor,

...