When Nero committed suicide in ad 68, he left Rome deep in debt after military campaigns, building himself a fabulous ‘Golden House’, and the great fire of Rome (AD 64). His successor Vespasian, who fought his way to power in late ad 69, set to work at once.

A hard-working man of humble origins and simple tastes, Vespasian was well suited to the task: ‘He got up early, even when it was still dark, and read the letters and the official breviaria’ (‘reports’; Latin brevis, ‘brief’).

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