The Ancient Roman Origins of Government Disaster Response

History Talk, the history podcast from Origins: Current Events in Historical Perspective

When we reflect on the history of government response to natural disasters such as plagues, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and now Covid-19, we discover that the expectation that central governments should play a role in recovering from such disasters can be traced back to the actions of three Roman emperors of the 1st century. This video traces the historic roots of disaster response. Written by Steven L. Tuck, Professor of Classics at Miami University. Narration by Dr. Nicholas B. Breyfogle. A textual version of this video is available at http://origins.osu.edu/connecting-history/roman-government-disaster-response. We thank the Stanton Foundation for their funding of this and other Origins projects. http://thestantonfoundation.org/ This content is made possible, in part, by Ohio Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this content do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Follow us on Twitter: @HistoryTalkPod and @OriginsOSU, Facebook: @Origins OSU and Tumblr: at osuorigins.tumblr.com. A video and textual version of this podcast is available at https://origins.osu.edu/connecting-history/roman-government-disaster-response