 Hugo Grotius (17th century) and Johann Jakob Wettstein (18th century) viewed this rider as corresponding to the famine that occurred during the reign of Claudius, the Roman Emperor from years 41 to 54.Volkmar, a "modern rationalist preterist", pinpoints the start of the famine at year 44, which kept repeating right into the First Jewish–Roman War of 66.Ernest Renan (19th century) viewed year 68 as the most significant year of the famine.