I Appeal To Caesar!

AD 64, The Fire

It happens on a hot summer night. The historian, Tacitus, records that “The fire started at the southeastern end of the Circus Maximus in shops selling flammable goods.” Fanned by a strong wind, the great fire engulfs flimsy houses and shops. Rome becomes a roaring inferno for five days, devastating both the poorer sections and many fine homes. Multiplied thousands are left homeless and helpless.

The Great Fire of Rome

Tacitus reports that the raging fire destroyed three of the fourteen Roman Districts and severely damaged seven. Most of the city is demolished! The fire cannot be contained, even with the Praetorian Guard called in to help. The cheap, tenement housing is sometimes seven stories tall, made of flimsy, flammable materials. Residents caught in the upper stories are trapped and consumed; flaming people hurl themselves to their