Today in Technology History
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July 18
The Roman emperor Nero was a despicable person. There was no vice he would reject, no debauchery he would spurn, no savagery he would refuse. He was a shallow, vain, gluttonous, incestuous murderer, who squandered the treasury of Rome on his wicked excesses.
A familiar saying holds that "Nero fiddled while Rome burned." This is a reference to the Great Fire of Rome which, according to most accounts, began on July 18 in the year A.D. 64. As thousands of displaced Romans ran from the devastating fire, rumors spread that Nero had intentionally started the conflagration so that he could see what the ancient city of Troy might have looked like as it burned. Supposedly, Nero -- who wanted to be remembered as a great artist -- played his lyre and sang songs as the fire destroyed Rome's temples and tenements.
Another theory, suggested by several Roman historians, was that Nero wanted to construct a new city upon the ashes of Rome, so as to be forever remembered as a godlike founder of a "Neropolis." That theory certainly comports with Nero's actions after the fire was subdued nine days later: he set about rebuilding the city, using the latest scientific theories and technology then available.
Nero arranged to have the rubbish and debris systematically removed from Rome. Instead of the tangled and snarled streets of the old city, Nero's new Rome had broad avenues in straight rows. New houses were required to be constructed of fire-resistant stone, at least on the ground floor. Other measures were taken for the further prevention of fire, such as requiring houses to have spaces between them, instead of adjoining walls. Some of the city's springs were connected to form a reserve supply of water, and Nero started an ambitious project to build a long canal away from Rome. (It was never finished.)
Nero's wise use of technology in the building of a safer Rome stands out as a rare highlight of his otherwise execrable reign. If he had been more industrious in finding ways to improve Rome with technology, he might have been remembered for his achievements rather than his depravity.
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