Latest / Nero: Mad Tyrant or Misunderstood Emperor? — Fexingo History / Nero's Secret Waterway: The Fucine Lake Drainage
Transcript
- Lucas: So we've talked a lot about Nero's building projects in Rome — the Domus Aurea, the new forum, the baths. But one of his most ambitious projects wasn't in the city at all. It was a lake in the Apennine mountains, east of Rome, called Fucinus — Lake Fucine. Luna: A lake? What did Nero do with a lake? Lucas: He drained it. Completely. It's a story that starts before Nero, though. For centuries the lake had no natural outlet, so it would flood the surrounding farmland every few years. Julius Caesar apparently dreamed of draining it, but he never got around to it. Then Claudius took it on. Lucas: Claudius was the one who built the big tunnel, the emissarium — about eleven kilometres long, cut through the Monte Salviano ridge. The plan was to let the lake's water flow out into the river Liris and eventually to the sea. It was a massive undertaking, and it took eleven years to dig, from 41 to 52 AD. Luna: Eleven years. And they were digging through solid rock? Lucas: Yes, with manual labour — tens of thousands of workers, including prisoners and soldiers. It was a huge feat. When Claudius finally opened the tunnel, he staged a naumachia, a mock naval battle on the lake with real warships. The story is that the water was still so high that it took forever to drain, and the ships got stuck in the mud. But eventually it worked. Lucas: And that's where Nero comes in. When he became emperor in 54, the lake was still causing problems. The tunnel was just not performing as well as everyone hoped. So Nero took the project on again — he finished what his stepfather had started, making adjustments to the tunnel's slope and cleaning out the debris. He even inaugurated the new system himself in 54, with another grand spectacle. Luna: So Nero was basically completing Claudius's homework. Lucas: In a way, yes. But he wasn't just doing it to outshine his predecessor. Drainage meant more arable land, less flooding, more revenue from the land — it was a public benefaction that put him in a good light. And it was genuinely impressive engineering. Pliny the Elder, who was around, praised the scale of the undertaking. Lucas: But here's the twist: the project didn't fully work. The lake never dried up completely. It kept refilling from springs and rivers. And after Nero, the tunnel fell into disrepair. Under Trajan, there was an attempt to fix it, but it wasn't until the 19th century, when Prince Alessandro Torlonia employed a Swiss engineer, that the lake was finally drained for good. Today the basin is the Piana del Fucino, a vast flat plain where they grow sugar beets and wheat. Lucas: Kind of. But it's still fascinating — it shows that military glory wasn't the only way to be a great emperor, or at least to try to be one. Public works were a huge part of imperial legitimacy, and Nero leaned into that, even if the results were mixed. Lucas: And it's interesting to think about how we judge these ancient projects. We tend to focus on the scandals and the fire, but here's an emperor who, at least for a while, was genuinely trying to improve people's lives on a practical level. It's a side of Nero we don't often talk about. Luna: Yeah, it's easy to forget he did anything good at all. Lucas: Exactly. And talking about the things he did — the good, the bad, the just plain ambitious — that's what we're here for. If you've been enjoying these conversations and you want to keep them going, honestly, if today was worth a coffee to you, that's the link — buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. It's the smallest thing, and it keeps this show free and ad-free for everyone. Luna: Absolutely. Every little bit helps. We're just two people who love history, and your support matters. Lucas: All right, so back to the lake. The scale of the tunnel is almost hard to get your head around. I mean, this was a project that involved moving earth and rock through mountains, using basically just picks, shovels, and fire. The tunnel was about 3 metres high and 2 metres wide, which is small, but still, over eleven kilometres, that's a lot of rock. Lucas: And the labour — we know from Suetonius and Tacitus that Claudius used a massive workforce, including criminals and free men hired for the job. Some of them were Jewish prisoners, apparently, sent from Rome. It was a brutal job. The conditions were probably terrible, with dust, heat, accidents. But it was also a symbol of imperial power — you could literally move mountains. Luna: Did anyone object to the cost or the cruelty? Lucas: There's a famous story about Claudius's wife Agrippina. When the final opening was made, there was a huge crowd, and some of the workers were crushed when the water rushed in. Agrippina apparently complained to Claudius about letting so many people die. But even she was more concerned about the spectacle than the actual lives lost. Lucas: So when Nero took over, he was stepping into a situation that was still politically charged. He didn't just finish the tunnel — he made a point of doing it better. Cassius Dio tells us that Nero lowered the outlet further, so the water would flow out more efficiently. He also held a ceremony to mark the completion, with games and probably a gladiatorial show. Luna: So he was one-upping Claudius again. Lucas: He was, but he was also following the same playbook of public works as a form of political legitimacy. And it's worth noting that the lake was in the region of the Marsi and the Peligni — old Italian peoples who had fought against Rome in the Social War. By draining the lake, Nero was showing that Rome's reach extended even into the highlands of Italy. Luna: The lake's name, Fucinus, comes from the Marsi, right? Lucas: Yes, and Pliny mentions that the Marsi used to live on its shores. They were known for their snake-charming and their herbal remedies — they supposedly could cure snakebites. So there's this curious mix: a lake surrounded by a people famous for magic, being tamed by Roman engineering. Lucas: Now, the actual mechanics of the drainage are fascinating. The tunnel had to be carefully sloped, with a gradient of about 0.3%, which is almost nothing, but over eleven kilometres it adds up. When Nero lowered the outlet, he increased the gradient, making the water flow faster. But even then, the lake didn't disappear. Part of the problem was that the lake was fed by underground springs, and the tunnel couldn't handle the volume. Luna: So it was a constant battle between the engineers and the water. Lucas: Exactly. And after Nero's reign, the tunnel began to silt up again. There are records of repairs under later emperors, but by the Middle Ages, the lake was back, and the land was flooding again. It was only in the 19th century that the Torlonia family finally completed the job, using the same ancient tunnel as a starting point, but with modern equipment. Luna: So Nero's project was a kind of prototype that took 1800 years to perfect. Lucas: In a way. But it shows that even a partial success could have a lasting impact. The land that was drained, even temporarily, became fertile farmland. And the tunnel itself is still partly visible today. You can visit the area and see the ancient entrance, carved into the rock, with the name 'Nero' inscribed on it. It's a tangible reminder that this wasn't just a legend — it was a real, physical achievement. Luna: I love that there's an inscription with Nero's name. It feels so personal. Lucas: Yes, it's one of those places where you can almost touch the past. And it's a good counterpoint to the usual image of Nero as a madman playing the lyre, or burning his own city. Here's an emperor who, at least in this case, was trying to do something genuinely useful — even if it didn't fully work out. Lucas: It also tells us something about Roman attitudes toward nature: they saw it as something to be conquered and made useful. They didn't just accept the lake as a feature of the landscape; they saw it as a problem to be fixed. And they had the technical skill to actually attempt it. That's a mindset that we still share today, for better or worse. Luna: So do you think Nero thought of this as his project, or just as something Claudius started? Lucas: Probably both. On one hand, he was completing the work of the man who adopted him — his legal father. On the other hand, he was claiming it as his own achievement, putting his name on it, literally. The sources say that he had his name inscribed on the tunnel, and he probably didn't want to share the credit with Claudius. But either way, it was a massive undertaking that showed what Rome could do. Lucas: And I think that's a good way to end — with a picture of Nero as a builder, not just a destroyer. He may be remembered for the fire and the Christians, but he also left his mark on the landscape of Italy, in tunnels, roads, and buildings that lasted for centuries. The lake is dry now, and the land is fertile, thanks to the efforts of ancient engineers and their modern successors. Luna: Thanks for bringing that to light, Lucas. I never would have thought to look at Nero's engineering side. Lucas: Thanks for listening. We'll be back with another episode soon.