Vesuvius, Pompeii and the short-lived Titus - The Pax Romana Podcast 026

The reign of the emperor Titus, the son of Vespasian, was short—just a little over two years—but boy was it eventful. And for once, these events have little to do with the emperor—by all accounts Titus was a decent leader—but rather, it was nature that wreaked havoc on tens of thousands of Romans. First, the famous eruption of Vesuvius, the volcanos burial of the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Then a major fire in Rome. And finally, a plague that at least once source claims killed 10,000 Romans—in just a single day. But if the Romans thought these deadly natural disasters were the worst that could happen under the new dynasty, they were wrong. Because as we’ll see on this next episode, Titus was soon succeeded by perhaps one of the Pax Romana’s most infamous emperors.

Primary Sources Referenced:

Pliny’s Letters 56. Suetonius, Life of Titus 8.4