ABSTRACT
Contemporary conspiracy theory is understood to be a populist phenomenon, a frequent and dangerous cry and expression of rage from the fringes of society. Moreover, as the study of classical antiquity is bound by sources that were produced and consumed by elite male audiences, so the study of conspiracy theory is further bound by the dilemma that any secretive events were never intended for public record in the first place. From the rhetoric of conspiracy, J. Roisman draws conclusions about a conspiratorial mindset in ancient Athens. Amply attested across the board, the rhetoric of conspiracy was produced and consumed by the masses as well as the elite, and it suggests an Athenian anxiety about conspiracy. The conspiracy theories surrounding the fire derive in part from the fundamental attribution error, which allowed Romans to create their own comforting realities: Easier to fear tyranny than contingency; easier to blame Christians than admit complicity in tyranny.
