logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2008
3m 43s

Did Nero really play the fiddle while Ro...

iHeartPodcasts
About this episode
In A.D. 64, a great fire consumed Rome for six days and seven nights. Some rumors speculated that Nero set the fire, and even played a fiddle as the city burned. Check out our HowStuffWorks article to learn if this is fact or fiction. 
Up next
Yesterday
SYMHC Classics: Paul Cuffe
This 2020 episode covers Paul Cuffe, who protested taxation, built wealth for himself in whaling, became a Quaker and used his fortune for the betterment of others. He also advocated creating a colony in Africa for of African ancestry to immigrate to.See omnystudio.com/listener f ... Show More
30m 50s
Jan 16
Behind the Scenes Minis: This Monkey’s Gone to Heaven
Tracy talks about the events that happened in the gap between writing the latest Unearthed episode and recording it. Holly shares thoughts about art heists.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information. 
19m 23s
Jan 14
Unearthed Year-end 2025, Part 2
Discussion of things literally or figuratively unearthed in the last quarter of 2025 continues. It begins with potpourri then covers tools, Neanderthals, edibles and potables, art, shipwrecks, medical finds, and repatriations. Research: Abdallah, Hanna. “Famous Easter Island stat ... Show More
40m 41s
Recommended Episodes
Apr 2023
The Great Fire of Rome
<p>In July 64AD, the Great Fire of Rome tore across the city, and ultimately burnt two thirds of Rome to ashes before it could be bought under control. A devastating event that can still be seen in the archaeology today, it ultimately led to the first persecution against the earl ... Show More
41m 58s
Jul 2021
Fiddling with the Truth
July 19, 64 AD. The Circus Maximus is the main arena in ancient Rome at this time, where tens of thousands watch chariot races and gladiator fights. The stadium is surrounded by shops and bars and restaurants, the whole area teeming with life. And tonight, it will all be destroye ... Show More
29m 9s
Nov 2020
Nero Pt. 2: Rome
As the Great Fire of Rome wreaked havoc on the city, the emperor practiced his singing. Nero's artistic obsessions led not only to Rome's downfall, but his own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices 
45m 37s
Feb 2023
Anthony Everitt on Nero, Rome’s Most Misunderstood Emperor
<p>Ryan speaks with Anthony Everitt about his book <a href="https://geni.us/LzOwv0" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Nero: Matricide, Music, and Murder in Imperial Rome</a>, how Rome would have been different if Nero were free to become a musician, why Nero’s overbearing ... Show More
1h 4m
May 2023
Murder in the Roman World
<p>The Ancient Romans are often thought of as ahead of their time. They invented concrete, sophisticated road systems and even underfloor heating.</p><br><p>But their approach to murder is starkly different to how the modern world recognises it, and frankly it’s a bit weird. Thes ... Show More
42m 42s
Sep 2023
Julius Caesar's Sex Life
tail spinning
37m 35s
Jul 2022
The Origins of Rome
<p>Known as the Eternal City, ancient Rome was one of the greatest civilisations in human history, but how did it come about?</p><br><p>With a turbulent history of Kings, civil wars and imperial desires - Rome has an incredible history. But who founded it? Were Romulus and Remus ... Show More
44m 33s
May 2022
Avance del podcast Las Actas, el periódico de la Antigua Roma
En los años en que Roma se convertía en la capital de un imperio, la vida en la ciudad se desarrollaba a un ritmo frenético y a cada momento ocurrían cosas relevantes para el devenir del Estado. El medio más eficaz de información eran las cartas, pero pronto estas quedaron obsole ... Show More
55s
Mar 2022
The Legacy of Julius Caesar's Assassination
<p>The legacies of the Ides of March stretch from that very afternoon on March 14th 44BC to the modern day. From Roman times to the Medieval period, from Dante to Shakespeare, and from Brutus to the other infamous assassin he inspired in John Wilkes Booth, the echoes of Julius Ca ... Show More
55m 26s