AD 64

Events

By place

Roman Empire

• July 19 - Great Fire of Rome: A fire begins in the merchant area of Rome and soon burns completely out of control, while Emperor Nero allegedly plays his lyre and sings, as he watches the blaze from a safe distance. There is no hard evidence to support this claim: fires were very common in Rome at the time. The fire destroys close to one-half of the city and is officially blamed on the Christians, a small but growing religious movement; Nero is accused of being the arsonist by popular rumour.
• Persecution of Christians in Rome begins under Nero. Peter the Apostle is possibly among those crucified.
• Nero proposes a new urban planning program based on the creation of buildings decorated with ornate porticos, the widening of the streets and the use of open spaces. This plan will not be applied until after his death in AD 68.
• Lyon sends a large sum of money to Rome to aid in the reconstruction. However, during the winter of AD 64–65, Lyon suffers a catastrophic fire itself, and Nero reciprocates by sending money to Lyon.
• Phoenicia becomes part of Syria.

  Asia

• The Kushan sack the ancient town of Taxila.

  By topic

Religion

• First Epistle of Peter written from Babylon according to traditional Christian belief.

  Arts and sciences

• Seneca proclaims the equality of all men, including slaves.

  Births

• September 13 - Julia Flavia, daughter of Titus and lover of his brother Domitian
• Julia Agricola, daughter of Gnaeus Julius Agricola
• Philo of Byblos, Phoenician historian and writer

  Deaths

• October 13 — Peter the Apostle
• Decimus Junius Silanus Torquatus, Roman consul
• Paul the Apostle
• Yin Lihua, Chinese empress