Fire of Rome of 64 d. C.
The fire of Rome in 64 AD is one of the most tragic pages in the history of the city.
The blame, as is known, was attributed to Nero, which in turn pointed the finger at Christians, but probably the causes were accidental.
In the Urbe in reality, the fires were quite frequent and to a large extent stemmed from the massive presence, especially in the most popular neighborhoods, of wooden kitchens, subject to catch fire easily.
So why is there so much talk about this event?
Why did it make such an impression even among contemporaries?
For a very simple reason: it was of enormous proportions .
The fire of Rome in 64 AD it was a catastrophe, as the figures show.
The damage was enormous and the victims numerous.
In addition, the strong summer heat (it was 18 July ), certainly didn't help.
Of the 14 total districts into which the city was divided, three were completely destroyed, 7 severely damaged and only three remained unscathed.
A large number of civil and public houses ended up in ashes and the flames engulfed even very ancient and important buildings.
Among these is the Temple of the Moon consecrated to Selene built by the king Servio Tullio , the even older and symbolically incomparable one dedicated to Jupiter Stator by Romulus , the palace of Numa Pompilius, the Maximum Macaw of Hercules unconquered and the great sanctuary of Vesta with the Penates.
The artistic and cultural heritage, Unfortunately, it too suffered incalculable damage:some Greek masterpieces and original texts of literature were lost forever.
From a human point of view, the situation was even worse.
Tens of thousands of people died , although the precise number has never been calculated.
The fire in Rome brought with it another very serious consequence: over 200,000 homeless.
Many Romans, in a moment, saw the house, the objects and everything they had managed to build with difficulty go up in smoke.