During his reign, a great fire destroyed two thirds of the city of Rome, burning for more than a week. It is said that Nero fiddled as Rome burned. There were rumors were that he had set the fire on purpose, in order to clear out land to build his grand palace. Nero is often portrayed as a murderous monster, one of the great villains of history.  He probably wasn’t as bad as that, mostly misunderstood and a victim of bad press. Perhaps a bit too effete for Roman tastes. Maybe too obsessed with the fine arts and theatre. But not a monster. Copper coin struck 67AD in the city of Lugdunum (modern-day Lyon, France). The reverse shows goddess Victory carrying a shield inscribed “SPQR” for the Latin “Senatus Populus Que Romanus” translated as “The Senate and People of Rome.”