After I dropped Strat at the high school yesterday, Jack, Chase and I were talking about etymology and the phrase "Nero fiddled while Rome burned" came up. I promised to do some research.
Of course, the violin was not yet invented, so I had to assume that this was not a literal observation. He may have played a kithara, as shown in the picture, but that would miss the point.
I would immediately assume that it meant that Nero did nothing to stop the burning of Rome. That is, it turns out, what many infer.
The burning of Rome appears to have been quite extensive, however, only two historians wrote of it, one of those only in passing. The other historians alive at that time in that area make no mention of it at all. That is very suspect. Accidental fires were common in ancient Rome, and some speculate that Nero himself started the fire so he could clear land to build an luxurious palace. Christians confessed to the arson, but most likely under torture since it is well known that Nero persecuted Christians.
After the fire, Nero rebuilt the city. He was the first "community organizer" and completely renewed the urban area. He paid for relief efforts from his own fortune and opened the palace to those displaced by the fire. He arranged for food to be provided to the homeless to prevent starvation. It's clear that he was not 100% bad.
But back to the topic at hand, "Nero fiddled while Rome burned." It would appear that, while Nero was extremely cruel, he was also very generous, especially when he would benefit in the long run. The phrase is very probably to darken his reputation and legacy.
No comments:
Post a Comment