Nero and the Great Earthquake of AD 62

Nero: Mad Tyrant or Misunderstood Emperor? — Fexingo History · Oct 19, 2026 · 8m · transcript

While many remember Nero for the fire of Rome or his artistic pursuits, a far more destructive event shaped his early reign: the catastrophic earthquake that leveled Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Naples in AD 62. This episode explores how this seismic disaster tested Nero’s capacity as emperor long before the Great Fire of 64. We look at the immediate aftermath, the massive financial outlays from the imperial treasury to rebuild infrastructure, and the political maneuvering that followed. Key figures like Seneca and Burrus navigated the crisis, while the city of Cumae and the wider Campania…