The
Great Fire of Rome broke out in the shops around the Circus
Maximus (chariot stadium) and almost destroyed the entire
city.
Since
a majority of the city's buildings were made of wood the fire
spread quickly. It completely leveled III
of XIV 'suburbs', severely
damaged VII suburbs and left
only IV areas untouched. The
fire also destroyed Emperor Nero's palace and several important
temples.
Historians differ on how long the fire lasted but the common view
is that it burnt for V days
& VI nights.
Nero went on to build new palace complex and to make
new laws to ensure buildings were made out of marble & stone,
the streets were widened and water was made available throughout
the entire city. The debris from the fire was used to fill in
marshes around the city which stopped the spread of the disease
malaria.
NB
An anachronism is something that is out of place in time.
