The Roman Emperor Nero was a musician and actor~did he fiddle his way into a new empire,or was it a big lyre!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
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Position:Home>History> What did emperor Nero play?Question: What did emperor Nero play!? The Roman Emperor Nero was a musician and actor~did he fiddle his way into a new empire,or was it a big lyre!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: Then, in July AD 64, the Great Fire ravaged Rome for six days!. The historian Tacitus, who was about 9 years old at the time, reports that of the fourteen districts of the city, 'four were undamaged, three were utterly destroyed and in the other seven there remained only a few mangled and half-burnt traces of houses!.' This is when Nero was famously to have 'fiddled while Rome burned'!. This expression however appears to have its roots in the 17th century (alas, Romans didn't know the fiddle)!. The historian Suetonius describes him singing from the tower of Maecenas, watching as the fire consumed Rome!. Dio Cassius tells us how he 'climbed on to the palace roof, from which there was the best overall view of the greater part of the fire and, and sang 'The capture of Troy'' Meanwhile Tacitus wrote; 'At the very time that Rome burned, he mounted his private stage and, reflecting present disasters in ancient calamities, sang about the destruction of Troy'!. But Tacitus also takes care to point out that this story was a rumour, not the account of an eye witness!. If his singing on the roof tops was true or not, the rumour was enough to make people suspicious that his measures to put out the fire might not have been genuine!. To Nero's credit, it does indeed appear that he had done his best to control the fire!. But after the fire he used a vast area between the Palatine and the Equiline hills, which had been utterly destroyed by the fire to build his 'Golden Palace' ('Domus Aurea')!. This was a huge area, ranging from the Portico of Livia to the Circus Maximus (close to where the fire was said to have started), which now was turned into pleasure gardens for the emperor, even an artificial lake being created in its centre!. The temple of the deified Claudius was not yet completed and - being in the way of Nero's plans, it was demolished!. Judging by the sheer scale of this complex, it was obvious it could never have been built, were it not have been for the fire!. And so quite naturally Romans had their suspicions about who had actually started it!. I would imagine that it was a lyre since according to the article Romans didn't have fiddles!. gatita_63109Www@QuestionHome@Com Hey Man-o-Kent UK I was going to answer your question about jesters but you closed it before I had a chance, the answers you got were rubbish!. This was my answer: “The only surviving records for the pay of jesters are for those who served royalty!. It is clear from these records that jesters in royal service where paid well!. There is a record that when Henry V took his army to campaign in France in 1414 he took with him eighteen "minstrels" to entertain him!. Some of these minstrels were probably acrobats and fools!. Each was paid 1 shilling (12 pence) per day this is quite well paid when compared to the pay of soldiers in Henrys army!. For instance archers were paid 6 pence, Esquire were paid one shilling, and knights 2 shillings!. Henry V’s entertainers faired well when he died as well when he left ￡5 to two of his favourites in his will!. Particularly favoured jesters could be paid very well, for instance Henry II favourite jester called Roland Le Fartere was given 30 acres of land on the sole proviso that every Christmas he performed for the king!. Le Fartere's best trick, which must have amused Henry particularly and for which he got his name, was to jump in the air, whistle and fart loudly!.” PS its all a lie about NeroWww@QuestionHome@Com It was a Lyre as the Violin as we know it was not invented until the 14th - 16th centuries!. Though there are similar instruments to a violin played all over the Middle East!. History has agreed that Nero played Lyre http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/Nero !.Www@QuestionHome@Com Nero enjoyed driving a one-horse chariot, singing to the harp and poetry!. He even composed songs that were performed by other entertainers throughout the empireWww@QuestionHome@Com He was a big lyre!. The fiddle(violin) hadn't been invented then!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Tom's right!. I can't remember where exactly Nero WAs at the time but the man wasn't even in Rome at the time of the fire!. Points for vaguest answer!?Www@QuestionHome@Com omg how old are you!. in your picture it looks like you are 40!.Www@QuestionHome@Com |