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The mystery of Rome's tragic fire is introduced. New archaeological evidence and modern forensics have clues into what may really have happened.
 Play Video Clip 1
Questions:
- How big was the city of Rome?
- Describe the population of Rome in 64 A.D..
- What are the two opposing ideas about the cause of the Great Fire of Rome?
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Archaeologist Henry Hurst proposes his idea that Nero was not responsible for fire that destroyed his city.
Play Video Clip 2
Questions:
- What are Hurst's reasons for thinking that Nero was innocent?
- According to Hurst, how did the fire start?
- What features of Rome made it such an easy victim for such a fire?
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A replica of a Roman aristocratic home is set on fire in an effort to show that the fire could have spread naturally through the concrete buildings, even without the aid of an arsonist.
Play Video Clip 3
Questions:
- What fueled the fire within such a home?
- How might the fire have spread from building to building?
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According to Tacitus' description, the fire took an unnatural path, but in accordance with modern knowledge, this may not have been true.
Play Video Clip 4
Questions:
- Why did Tacitus think the spread of the fire was unnatural?
- How is it that fire can move against the flow of wind or uphill?
- Why was it so difficult for the fire brigades of 64AD to stop this fire?
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