It was the night of July 19, AD 64, when the Great Fire broke out on the roofs of shops near the mass entertainment and chariot racing venue called Circus Maximus. The flames, whipped by a strong wind, quickly engulfed densely populated areas of the city.
After burning uncontrollably for five days, 4 of the 14 Roman districts were burned to the ground and seven more were seriously damaged.
Nero: Playing while Rome burned?
Nero might have been playing a kithara while Rome burned, but he wasn’t playing a violin. That’s because violins weren’t invented until around 1550.
Nero, probably the most infamous Roman emperor, was the great-grandson of Caesar Augustus.
When his mother’s husband (also his uncle and Nero’s adoptive father …) was killed with poisoned mushrooms, Nero succeeded him on the throne.
Like many children in those days, he wanted to be a famous singer and a poet. His talent was poor, but as emperor, the empire doubled as a captive audience.
His mother tried to control Nero, to the point of having sex with him. He tried to assassinate her by booking her on a ship that was designed to fall apart at sea. Unfortunately, her mom was a good swimmer. After she survived, she had a soldier kill her. This surprised the public a bit, but they got over it.
Neropolis
It was no secret that Nero wanted to build a series of palaces that he planned to call Neropolis.
But, the planned location was in the city. To build Neropolis, one third of Rome would have to be demolished. The senate rejected the idea.
Then, coincidentally, the fire cleared the real estate that Neropolis required.
Despite the obvious benefit, there is still a good chance that Nero did NOT start the fire. Up to a hundred small fires broke out in Rome every day. On top of that, the fire destroyed Nero’s own palace. It also appears that Nero did his best to stop the fire …
Nero’s reaction to fire
Accounts of the day say that when Nero learned of the fire, he rushed back from Antium to organize a relief effort, using his own money. He opened his palaces to let in the homeless and sent food supplies to the survivors.
Nero also devised a new urban development plan that would make Rome less vulnerable to fire. But, although he established rules to ensure a safer reconstruction, a large tract of city property was also handed over with the intention of building his new palace there.
Fake terror boosts poll numbers
People knew of Nero’s plans for Neropolis, and all his efforts to help the city failed to counter rampant rumors that he would help start the fire.
As survey numbers dwindled, the Nero administration realized the need to employ False Flag 101: When something, anything, happens to you, even if it’s accidental, point the finger at your enemy.
Fortunately, there was a strange new cult of religious madmen at hand. This cult was unpopular because they refused to worship the emperor, denounced possessions, held secret meetings, and always spoke of the destruction of Rome and the end of the world.
Even luckier for Nero, two of the most important leaders of the sect, Peter and Paul, were currently in town.
Then Nero spread the word that the Christians had started the Great Fire. The citizens of Rome bought their hook, line and sinker. Peter was crucified (face down, at his request) and Paul was beheaded. Hundreds of other members of the young cult were fed to the lions, or smeared with tar and set on fire to become human street lamps.
That is the fate of those who are unknowingly caught in a false flag operation.