"...while Rome burned."
by Maxine
Today, July 18, is believed to be the anniversary of the burning of Rome in 64 A.D. while the emperor Nero supposedly played his fiddle. It turns out that Nero wasn't even in Rome at the time but rushed back when he heard about the fire. The rumors about his fiddle playing probably came from the Roman military who disapproved of Nero's artistic tendencies. He became emperor at the age of 16 and was the youngest ruler in the history of Rome but not the most benevolent. He blamed the fire on the Christians who were then tortured. The adopted son of Claudius, Nero only came to power because of the murder of his brother, Britannicus. For a brilliantly acted portrayal of Claudius' reign, check out the dvd series, I, Claudius.
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