Did Nero Really Fiddle While Rome Burned?

‘Fiddling while Rome burns’ is an accusation flung at every
political leader at some point in their career. In this episode,
Mary and Charlotte uncover the origins of this phrase and ask: why
has it proved so resonant that it has carried through the centuries
and right around the world?  In 64 CE, a huge fire broke out
in Rome. It lasted for over a week and devastated much of the city.
Today, what is more famous than the fire itself is what the emperor
Nero did while it was going on. He watched - and played his
lyre.  This story, perhaps more than any other, has given Nero
a bad rap, but ancient writers also say that he supervised rescue
efforts, gave free food to the people, introduced sensible planning
regulations and was visionary in rebuilding the devastated areas.
So why has the fiddling image won out and why is it used so often
in contemporary political discourse?  Mary and Charlotte
explore these questions, pointing out in the process that fiddles
hadn’t been invented at the time Nero is meant to have played one,
that the Colosseum gets its name from a colossal statue of Nero,
and that it’s the forgotten parts of the fiddling legend that make
the modern use of the term so powerful.  Finally, they ask:
all things considered, did Nero REALLY fiddle while Rome burned?
And they give an answer.  Mary and Charlotte recommend some
further reading The ancient sources are collected and analysed in
detail here:
https://dcc.dickinson.edu/tacitus-annals/introduction/annals-outline/annals-38-41-outline
Nero has always attracted a LOT of academic interest.  E.
Champlin, Nero (Harvard UP, pb, 2005) is an accessible biography
(rather favourable to Nero) For a focus on the fire itself, and its
wider context, see: A. Barrett, Rome is Burning: Nero and the Fire
that Ended a Dynasty (Princeton UP, pb, 2020)  The history of
modern cartoons of political leaders fiddling while Rome burned is
explored by Ginna Closs here:
https://eidolon.pub/x-fiddled-while-y-burned-80abf13e7c08?gi=5d659c5e2688
@instaclassicpod for Insta, TikTok and YouTube @insta_classics for
X email: instantclassicspod@gmail.com Instant Classics handmade by
Vespucci Producer: Jonty Claypole  Executive Producer: Natalia
Rodriguez Ford Video Editor: Jak Ford Theme music: Casey Gibson
  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
podcastchoices.com/adchoices