Historically, Asarhaddon is often overshadowed by his son Ashurbanipal, but this New Assyrian king was formidable both as a general and as a politician.

In 64 A.D. there was a great fire in Rome, which was blamed on the Christians. There were rumors among the Romans that Nero himself had set the fire. During the fire, he left the city at a safe distance, and contemplating the flames, wrote another poem.