Aims and sluicing the twenty sixteen election. And the dozen friends sound like iraq and berlin on behalf of the entire news team thank you so much for spending this part of your day with us the news continues at the top of the hour see that. Letter we were. When we were. Eighty percent of americans at some point in our lives will experience hardship listen up. Double. Binds. Nero murderer and despot a madman on the imperial throne. Whose name is inextricably linked with one of the biggest disasters of the ancient world The Great Fire over a. Hero set rome a light to make room for his own building plans in takes the blame for the fire on the christians ordering the torture and execution of thousands. But scholars today question the legend of nero as the arsonist of rome and down to the initiator of policy of persecution against the christians. To date there is no archaeological evidence to support the theory that the Apostle Peter was ever in rome but there are mounting indications that neuros in from. As crimes were
ascribed to the emperor by later writers. Nero an eccentric ruler who wanted to be an artist and preferred to live in a world of fantasy. But neither an arsonist nor persecutor of christians. Is july nineteenth in the year sixty four it hasnt rained for days. Rome is home
to almost a Million People its a sweltering summer night. The majority of rum citizens cant escape the heat unlike the wealthy who have long since retreated to their estates in the Cooler Plains of nearby lot you know. In just a few hours an inferno with a rock turning the citys narrow streets into a death trap. Nero is also not in rome hes retreated to his Summer Residence in the Seaside Resort of antioch. In rome the brothels bars and betting shops lining the Circus Maximus are packed on this fateful night. It is here that the catastrophe begins. The Great Fire Of Rock a dramatic calamity for the city and its people comparable in the magnitude of its destruction to the earthquake infante. The blame. His will rage for seven days
thousands will die when the smoke clears three quarters of the city will lay in ruins. According to legend the Apostle Peter was in rome at the same time to supervise the citys fledgling Christian Community. Later he would go down in the annals of the Catholic Church as the first Bishop Of Rome. With. Another natori as legend emperor nero himself started the fire as an excuse to rebuild rome to his own liking and to remain in the city neuropathies and thats not all the Mad Megalomaniac watched the conflagration from his palace on the palatine you know merrily singing and playing his liar. Indeed it was scapegoat he
how did the Roman Emperor of come to be known as the anti christ and the beast of the revelation. It all started here the Circus Maximus at the foot of the Palatine HillThe Green Oval of the ancient racetrack and survived to this day the narrows time an audience of possibly Two Hundred Fifty Thousand could pack into the stadium to share the emperors delight in Chariot Racing. The Circus Maximus was the biggest Entertainment Complex in the ancient world. It was also the origin of the spark that ignited The Great Fire of rock. Its the evening of july nineteenth and the year sixty four the summer heat is stifling and the shops clustered around the Circus Maximus there are hundreds of bars shops and stalls almost all of them constructed from wood with open fires burning everywhere the blaze breaks out under the racecourses Wooden Bleachers at
ravaged City Nero Set Fire To Rome to build a new city that he will rename after himself. And the biggest nero cliche of them all while the city was burning nero mounted his private stage and comparing modern disasters with ancient had some of the destruction of troy that. Is what is. In the story appears to corroborate accounts of his expressive facilities as an artist and of the way he presented himself at other times its one of the many scenes that one is tempted to regard as an exaggeration of the literary sources but im not so sure. Consider. What tacitus noted as a rumor was recorded as a funny buys who tonys neros started the fire. And a century after so tony has cancer. Do you know wrote neurosurgery is hard done
revenge of the roman elite and an emperor who rejected what they saw as decorum. Neros biographers began painting a negative picture of the emperor as soon as he died and his odious reputation has survived into the twenty First Century. I think. Im certain that all surviving texts in any way connected to the famous fire of rome were tainted by all teary eyed motives. With intensity that escaped validas there is no valid primary source testimony from which one could deduce that nero actually set fire to rob and if you try to list the reasons why he may have done so after all the arguments appear very tenuous there really is no motive that one could assign to a Darkened Teef Basement with a current. Even if nero played no part in starting the fire the romans blamed him none the less as pontifex maximus. Yes he was the high priest of the empire
a mediator between the people and the gods and me seemed angry. Nero was also commander of the vigilance romes force of police and firefighters and office traditionally held by the emperor and one taken very seriously by his predecessors people expected the emperor to rush to the scene of the fire. Nero couldnt he was an anti and. Details didnt interest the public which felt betrayed by nero. His efforts to oversee Firefighting Operations were praised but they came to live. Under warms. Or nero lost a great deal of his capital among the population because he was very very late arriving back in rome after hearing about the fire so work the whole thing down and though he then assumed control of the rescue and reconstruction efforts people
still felt that he had arrived too late. Before and we know from the examples of other roman rulers and even arrest kratz of the republic that when it comes to catastrophes its always key to show up as quickly as possible nero missed that opportunity has moved his presence to the office on. Christian graves dating from the First Century. Early evidence of a new sect that would rise to become a world religion. X. And p. Alpha and omega The First And Last letters of the greek alphabet suggest the all encompassing nature of god. Ancient writers repeatedly reference christians and christ in their accounts of The Great Fire. Tacitus wrote nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite torture. Years on
a class hated for their abominations called christians by the populace. Romes establishment was incensed by The Egalitarian Ism of the Christian Community where freed men sat a long aristocrats a no go in the hierarchical and class Conscious Society of age wrong. And kudzu mellow where the traditional roman would have looked at a Christian Community and sat i mean i did because their attacks that quote them and this is an outrageous gathering which permits Fishmongers Weiss to speak about religion and he or press. And credits and so a traditional roman would have found the Christian Community pretty scandalous and because of the disconcerting way it removed hierarchical distinctions in the Social Stratification if i dont see it as a trust of. The church of some giovanni a power on the kalian hill this was where the super rich lived in neros day and
age. Three meters under the churchs foundations a subterranean world allows a glimpse into the past. Back in neros day this was a light filled city palace. The owner presided over a network of twenty rooms magnificently appointed with frescos. As was typical in the homes of rome as well healed the walls and ceilings were painted with fantastical creatures and mythological scenes. But the owner of these rooms was christian. The proof lies in the press goes on the wall were the oldest surviving private chapel in rome dating from a time when support for the jewish sect was not dangerous because the citizens of rome enjoyed religious freedom. The world of roman guns was hard to navigate every aspect of life was governed by a different deity. Each god was no better than the Person Worshipping on its altar it could be equally cruel insidious evil or eventual the gods were immortal like superheroes but their world was as hierarchical as that of humans on earth. Jupiter the supreme god wielding thunder and lightning to control the skies and striking fear into the hearts of mortals. For fear of offending an important day of the romans tended to adopt the gods of conquered lands getting them to their burgeoning pantheon. In neros day dozens of sanctified for new followers but faith in the traditional collection of pagan gods dominated
across the empire most romans unquestioningly followed the rights of their religion priests appeased the gods with sacrifices and as long as the empire prospered all was well. Tombstones and inscriptions from the First Century the romans to believed in an afterlife but their ideas of what it looked like differed. One thing all romans had in common was a fear of being forgotten. Immortal glory was the highest achievable goal those are good afforded mark their grave with a tombstone. Them in fact weston its the motivation behind the past occasion of christians through the roman authorities probably lay in the notion that this here was an unpredictable bunch. Who it was feared could start
a revolution. And before the most. From your own or his advisors couldnt possibly have asked for a better scapegoat. With some Three Thousand members of the roman Christian Community was a minority that was viewed with suspicion reviled feared and hated by the population at large. And after the catastrophe of the fire Nero New Rome was clamoring for justice. Like all emperors nero feared the fury of the masses so he went on the offensive. There were no public prosecutors under the roman legal system charges were filed on the basis of accusations brought by individuals its not known how many christians were interrogated or arrested but its clear only a small percentage of romes Christian Community was targeted. Justified or not
the arsonists arrest was branded religious persecution at the end of the second century by the christian theologian ted too early on. In the fifth century christian monks produced copies of ancient texts and may well have intentionally falsified their accounts in the process. Its likely that tacitus is original works delivered a far less damning indictment of nero than the versions we know today. If they created the impression we have today that ever since the dawn of christianity there were a violent waves of persecution in which christians were systematically and indiscriminately lined up for execution that is true of russias christians in the Twentieth Century and that the Current Situation in the middle east but not in antiquity but thats just me and. On a late summer day in the year sixty four crowns
a. Toward the Palatine Hill. Its show time at the Imperial Palace where emperor nero has opened the gates to his gardens the people of rome have been demanding revenge for the loss of loved ones and property in the fire. The emperor lights up the festivities with the perpetrators using their bodies as human torches. Nero reportedly ordered tar pitch to be poured on christians who were crucified and set on fire to light up his garden death by fire was common punishment for arsonists so that was nothing unusual what is strange for us today is the juxtaposition of jovial festivities and a brutal mass murder. Another indication of just how strange life could be in ancient rome. If god went on naval kinds of democracies
for there was no systematic religious Persecution Of Christians under nero and. The so called Persecution Of Christians must be viewed in the context of The Great Fire and its rather a caution its the. Most. It was designed to offer the romance who had experienced a great sufferings if a big spectacle before namely people who were on fire be nameless but end a mention. According to Christian Legend the Apostle Peter was also among those condemned to death. The story first surfaces in a second century collection of writings about peters life. Others adopted the story as a motif. For most christians this legend has long since become historical fact. But the opulent
tomb of the apostle in st Peters Basilica is a senator and m. De grey. The whereabouts of St Peters Bones is controversial and always has been. Kind of a but there is no valid historical evidence to support the theory that peter was ever any relic our oldest source the late First Century pistol of claimant only alludes generally to the fact that christianity is two leaders met their deaths in significant places and gives no further details. In fifteen forty five Martin Luther wrote i am content to be able to say since i have seen it and heard it at rome that it is unknown where in the city the bodies of St Peter And Paul are located or even whether they are there at all. Even the pope and the cardinals know very well that they do not know. In one Nine Hundred Forty pope pius the twelfth
authorized the search for the bones of the Apostle Peter beneath the basilica. Digging was conducted in secrecy and at night so no one would hear anything above in the basilica it wasnt long before workman made a significant discovery. Soon a vatican archaeologist was overseeing the operations for the find was a christian tomb and ultimately a handful of clones was on earth it was only twenty five years later that pope paul the sixth announced the remains of st peter had been found below the vatican. After The Great Fire nero set about reconstructing the destroyed districts two thousand years later not much of his efforts has survived the ruins of an insulating a multistory department block. In neros Day Such Tenements were groundbreaking both in terms of architecture and City Planning as a way of providing housing for the growing population very. Near zero made his mark
on the citys design and proved to be a visionary and pragmatic planner with his advisors he set out to read rome of its narrow streets and congested spaces unbearably confined in the hot summer months. Instead he ordered wide avenues in colonnades to provide shade a mammoth project that nero helped finance from his own coffers tacitus praised neros actions as wise and prudent. At last im going to be able to be housed like a human being that it sounds to tony as quote here on the completion of his new palace the domus aria or golden house. Its wall and ceiling frescoes were rediscovered at the height of the Renaissance Painters were abseiled down into the subterranean labyrinth of the palace to copy the works of their predecessors ferment dignity. Rome was no stranger to
palaces but the sheer size of neros new toiling was unprecedented. Romans complained one house was taking over the entire city to tony as wrote parts of the house were overlaid with gold there were dining rooms with fretted ceilings of ivory whose panels could turn and showered down flowers and were fitted with pipes for sprinkling the guests with perfume as. The architectural highlight and heart of the palace was the octagonal hall of all to dome built on an octagonal basis one of the first Known Concrete Vaults in the history of architecture. Tony has remarked the hall constantly revolved day and night. Like they havent. The complex consumed eighty hectors in the center of rum the entire problem is
complex was laid out like a stage accessible to all it included a huge Artificial Lake its own suter villas with fields a vineyard and woodlands teeming with all kinds of tame down. Even by Imperial Standards the golden house was nothing short of bombastic. Nero commissioned a giant statue of his likeness golden in thirty meters high for the Entrance Hall of his palace was all this a sign of megalomania proof of his madness. If you would in neonate its that side missed it but i wouldnt describe nero as crazy not because i rule out that he was crazy but because ultimately we just know too little about nero to classify him as such. As its
a cock to the human by the band we need to keep in mind is that even if his contemporaries described him as crazy and they did his behavior doesnt necessarily have to have a pathological explanation. Of your void ken on dust thats all they could simply be a label for his inappropriate inexplicable and surprising conduct which people simply lacks the means to describe under Mukesh Gardened own tribal kata. Trance or just concluded that it was neros artistic streak and showmanship they were most damaging to his reputation. The Biographer Contemptuously recounts neros performance of a woman giving birth. The emperor on stage as a pregnant woman playing to a capacity audience. And taking Gender Role Reversal to the point of absurdity. Im going to slay show neros Sexual Escapades were particularly open to attack because he Demonstrative Lee crossed the line when it came to gender and social norms and if a man doesnt that here to norms he simply cant be an adequate ruler in political terms like. In the years Sixty Five Euros enemies began plotting to assassinate him. His greek style Arts Festival the neuron i was coming up and many roman senators couldnt bear the prospect of their emperor once again making a fool of himself by defying roman tradition. For many of the emperors apparent on a public stage was scandalous. But not all of rumsey lead condemned nero second career. As an oft with. Reactions to his performances were very
mixed we know of roman aristocrats who supported neros performances and encouraged others were deeply contemptuous of what he debt and it was tessa to send particular who gave a voice to their view a horse for tots it was. A conspiracy was exposed and nearest police cracked down at least one thousand men and women were arrested going to go on their social status they were killed or forced to commit suicide neros former tutor an advisor seneca it was one of the. Mural put his life on public display he gave guitar of performances and poetry recycles and increasingly he appeared on stage in roles that echoed his own first known history erasing the boundary between stay. Each. Other. He was clearly identifying himself with the characters he
played. And he went so far as to specifically select roles that reflected episodes in his own life. And thats most evident in the murder of. He repeatedly performed the role of arrested as the Greatest Epitome Of Matricide In Antiquity and by doing so repeatedly reminded the public of his own mothers murder. Using. The rose first biographers describe using creasing Panic Attacks and growing state of anxiety. It was at this time that mural made a fateful decision. He really didnt want to rule over the roman world as the princeps the emperor he wanted to recycle witchery he wanted to
perform he wanted success as a chariot race or because he wanted to stand in front of a large audience naturally he tried to assert himself as emperor but probably only because it afforded him a heightened experience of the things that really matter to d. C. Is also the. Nero disregarded all the warnings in place to government in the hands of his trusted friedman. In august sixty six he took his show on the road to greece he was accompanied by an entourage of six thousand people with String Instruments Bows and theater masks crusade for the arts. Hero ask the organizers of all four. Games the new median the in used to be end and Olympic Games to reschedule their competitions within the same year so that he nero could take part. In the able fought in we have accounts that reveal nero suffered from severe stage fright before these events but that he still put in spirit at performances against his competitors and he was always tremendously surprised when as if by coincidence he won first place and very humbly accepted the prizes and the applause. Even if hed fallen off the chariot and nearly died during the race. So here again we have the phenomenon that we can observe in many other areas of neros persona he was living in his own world and shaping his own reality tate a shuffle hot. Aside from Athletic Competitions like Chariot Racing the games also featured artistic contests miro took part in all of them organizers
displayed ingenuity as they vied for the emperors favor they hired veteran singers who still saying well but were no longer interested in accolades nero was celebrated as the most successful competitor since the birth of the games. The venue of olympia served him as a stage and he won every competition. It will never be known whether nero was aware of this charade but he didnt just accept the trophies that came with his victories he also pocketed the cash prizes gold that he badly needed to restock is depleted travel fund where. Is certain is that neros popularity among his subjects reached its zenith during his tour of creates. Could no longer stomach neros act they viewed it as a mockery of the imperial coughed. A new conspiracy took shape. The Legates Bendixen and got joined forces in a rebellion. Got a very good his legion declare him emperor. One last time nero mobilized his loyal generals and initially he even won the upper hand but then he sank into apathy. The ancient texts repeatedly note that in the final phase of the first signs of Apostasy Nero would certainly have had the chance to turn back the tide in his favor has he shown more determination. Reached out and taken the necessary steps but he didnt his response was hesitant at times he didnt respond at all and merely concentrated on his artistic interests and that served to solidify the opposition and facilitate
irans downfall and with us. The new prefect of the Praetorian Guard in future use of venus informed nurul that his loyalists had all abandoned him but this was a lie. As tacitus wrote nero was undone by rumors and vague intelligence not by force of arms. Thats president bush but if you combine i think what was particular about nero was that he knew no boundaries he staged his life like a play his life was one big spectacle what if and i believe he always planned his end accordingly for how to sign up and so instantly and does this thing and it Didnt Play Out that way because of the particular circumstances and also because he panicked too soon but in neros life theres virtually no way of differentiating between Theatre Drama The Stage and real life. Nero flipped rome. The biographer is around to could you describe his last hours as the death of a cowardly tyrant not man enough to voluntarily and his own life. Bad p. R. Until the very end. And yet this emperor did rack up victories even if they werent on the battlefield. What we can determine is that under nero Latin Literature really flourished amid a burst of literary activity for out he put the team aspect the Positive Side of neros personality was certainly his enthusiasm his love of the arts and culture which had a formative influence on rome not just in the development of the arts but also in City Planning and in entertain. And romans were familiar with Greek Culture but not so much with things like athletics so he was absolutely pioneering in these respects and absolute nor in imposing because of that house that he saw himself in
the first place as an artist and only in second place as emperor thats why i always describe nero as the emperor artist question. The ancient drama starring emperor nero ended with his words what an artist dies in me then he stabbed himself in the throat with a dagger. The script of neros life needs a rewrite it remains unclear whether st peter was ever in rome to harden the drama of his narrative christian historians later cast nero as the anti christ. Nero was no monster nor was he any more brutal than many socalled good emperors but the dead do not write their own history neros was tainted by the passage of time. The Bishop Of Rome became the head of the church and rome the center of christianity. E takes good personally i do end up with a little wonderful people in stories that make the game so special. For all true fans. Pick up more than football online. A news analyst made it explicit the unsub. Goals hopes a call to change has not to this kind boost side but. People have put big dreams on the big screen. T. V. And movie magazine on the w