Plutarch (Plut. Crass. 2.3-4) states that Marcus Crassus, one of the members of the ‘First Triumvirate’5, owed a good portion of his wealth to “fire and war”. In order to make the most out of the frequent destruction of houses by fire, Crassus bought over five hundred slaves, all of whom were architects and builders. He then proceeded to find homeowners whose houses had burnt down (or, in some cases, were still burning!) and negotiate the purchase of their property, after which he would reconstruct the buildings and sell them on at a price; the very literal sense of a real estate ‘fire sale’!