According to the popular legend, the crazy emperor ordered to set fire to his own capital, wanting to build a new city in its place. We checked the validity of such accusations.

The image of the Roman Emperor Nero, who laid down Rome and watched a fire from a hill near the city, reliably settled in mass culture. This story gained considerable popularity thanks to Roman Genrika Senkevich “Kamo Matyshi”, in which the emperor repeatedly complains about the shortcomings of Rome and wants to build up the city again. In honor of Nero Name And the Nero Burning Rom program for recording CD. The authors of popular science books also express suspicions regarding Nero. For example, Mikhail Kubeev in "100 great riddles of history" Writesthat "judging by the violent disposition of the emperor, his complete adhesion, he could well burn his city."

We know about accusations against Nero, primarily from ancient sources. For example, Tacitus in Annals Writes About the fire in Rome: "A terrible disaster, random or adjusted by the intent of Princeps - has not been established (both the opinion has a support in the sources)." At the same time, Nero, according to the same author, was at that moment at his suburban villa. Although the historian avoids an unambiguous interpretation, he also reports that, despite the rather quick restoration of the city, the rumor about the involvement of the emperor was popular among the townspeople. According to Tacitus, Neron accused of arson of Christians to combat his “prayer dishonor”, after which their numerous and very sophisticated executions began.

A more radical version can be found in the "Life of the Twelve Caesars" Suetonius. The author is straight accuses In the fire of Nero: “It was as if he had grown ugly old houses and narrow crooked lanes, he settled Rome so openly that many consulians caught in their yards his servants with torches and Pacley, but did not dare to touch them; And the tenants, who were nearby from the Golden Palace and, according to Nero, who took off too much space from him, were as if first destroyed by military vehicles, and then set fire to, because their walls were made of stone. ” At the same time, according to the historian, the emperor “looked with the philanthropist tower at the fire, enjoying, according to him, a magnificent flame, and in the theatrical robe sang“ The Crack of Troy ”(song of his own composition. - Ed.)”.

Note that both of these ancient evidence belong to a later era. Tacitus during a fire was Another child, and Suetonius is completely was born A few years after a destructive disaster. Modern researchers Markthat the description of Nero as a reckless and even crazy ruler could rather correspond to the conjuncture of the times of Tacitus and Suetonia than real events, especially since the versions they set out are slightly different. For example, Tacitus’s fire and the execution of Christians are directly connected, but his colleague does not.

Modern historians are inclined to doubt that Nero ordered to burn his capital. Anthony Barrett from the University of British Colombia in the book “Rome is on: Nero and the fire that put the end of the dynasty” recognizesthat the evidence of those events that have come down to us are extremely scarce, and archaeological finds do not give a definite answer. At the same time, the researcher calls the participation of Nero in the tragedy “extremely unlikely”, because the arson looked illogical and difficult. Rumors about the involvement of the emperor did not appear from scratch. Nero Involved To the killings of his own mother and wife, so he approached the role of the guilty, who was so searched for by the townspeople who lost their shelter and means of existence. Similar assessments adheres to And John Drinkwater from the University of Nottingham, the author of the monograph "Nero: Emperor and Yard."