Nero’s night watchmen. How the vigiles fought fires and crime

Densely populated Rome was a city under constant threat from fire. Tall, tightly packed residential buildings and the widespread use of fire in everyday life meant that fires ranked among the greatest dangers faced by the city’s inhabitants. Plutarch even describes how Marcus Licinius Crassus exploited these fires to increase his wealth, buying up burning or threatened buildings for next to nothing.

A turning point came under Augustus. In 6 CE, the emperor established the cohortes vigilum — an organized force created chiefly to fight fires and patrol the city at night. According to Cassius Dio, the force was divided into seven cohorts and initially recruited from freedmen. Augustus at first intended to disband it, but soon realized its services were too valuable to give up.

The Vigiles, however, were not merely firefighters. They were also tasked with patrolling the streets of Rome at night and responding to threats that arose after dark. They apprehended thieves, broke up street brawls, and referred more serious matters to the city prefect. They were, in effect, a combination of fire brigade and night watch — a force especially needed in such a vast, crowded city.

Their greatest test came under Nero. In 64 CE, the Great Fire swept through Rome, destroying one district after another over the course of several days. Fighting the blaze required not only extinguishing flames but also demolishing buildings that stood in its path. The fire showed that even an organized firefighting force had limited power once flames spread through such an exceptionally dense urban environment.

The disaster nevertheless led to a major rebuilding of the city. Tacitus describes how the reconstruction introduced wider streets, limited building heights, open spaces, and porticoes to shield building fronts. Some structures were to be built of fire-resistant stone, buildings were to have their own walls instead of shared partitions, and firefighting equipment was to be kept readily accessible in designated places. Access to public water was also improved.

In this way, the greatest fire disaster of Nero’s reign shaped not only the fate of Rome’s inhabitants but also the appearance of the city itself. The vigiles were the first line of defense against fire, but only the combination of their work with a properly designed urban space could truly reduce the risk of another catastrophe.