110- Thunderbolts and Lighting Part II: House Fire or Murder?

<p>Tullus Hostilius' time is drawing to a close. Today, we see a plague overtake Rome, and Tullus himself die alongside his wife and children in a tragic housefire caused by a lightning strike. But- hang on... what's this? Ancus Marcius, what were you doing with that lighter? And why is your sword dripping? Oh, food colouring, you say? All right, carry on...</p><p><br></p><p><b>Time period:</b> 640 BCE</p><p><b>Relevant individuals:</b></p><ul><li>Tullus Hostilius, 3rd King of Rome</li><li>Ancus Marcius, 4th King of Rome</li></ul><p><br></p><p><br></p><p><b>Sources for this episode</b>:</p><ul><li>Appian (1972), Appian's Roman History in Four Volumes (Volume I). London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.</li><li>Caseau, B. (2018), Too Young to be Accountable: Is 15 Years Old a Threshold in Byzantium? Chapter in: Ariantzi, D. (ed.), Coming of Age in Byzantium. Berlin: De Gruyter Brill.</li><li>Cassius Dio (1961), Dio's Roman History (Volume I). Translated by E. Cary. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.</li><li>Diodorus of Sicily (1993), The Library of History Books IV.59- VIII. Translated by C. H. Oldfather. London and Cambridge, Massachusetts: William Heinemann Ltd. and Harvard University Press.</li><li>Dionysus of Halicarnassus (1960), The Roman Antiquities of Dionysus of Halicarnassus. Translated by E. Cary. Cambridge, Massachusetts and London: Harvard University Press and William Heinemann Ltd.</li><li>Eutropius (1760), Eutropius: Epitome of the Roman History. London: Printed for W. Johnston <i>et al</i>.</li><li>Harkness, A. G. (1896), Age at Marriage and Death in the Roman Empire. Transactions of the American Philological Assocation 27: 35-72.</li><li>Livy (1971), The Early History of Rome. Translated by A. de Selincourt. Harmondsworth: Penguin Books Ltd.</li><li>Matyszak, P. (2008), Chronicle of the Roman Republic: The Rulers of Ancient Rome from Romulus to Augustus. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd.</li><li>Orosius (1936), History Against the Pagans. Translated by I. W. Raymond. Available at Attalus.</li><li>Robinson's History of the Roman Republic (TBA).</li><li>Sextus Aurelius Victor (1825), Galerie Romaine, ou les Hommes Illustres de Rome et les Cesars. Translate by A. Caillot. Paris.</li><li>Author unknown, Convert Units (date unknown), Convert stade to mile - Conversion of Measurement Units (online) (Accessed 12/07/2026).</li><li>Author unknown, Wiki