Titus - Roman Emperor: 79-81 A.D. -
Bronze Dupondius 25mm (8.9 grams) Rome mint: 74 A.D.
Reference: 742[vesp] Titus, Cohen 81
T CAESAR IMP COS III CENS, radiate head right.
FELICITAS PVBLICA S-C, Felicitas standing left, holding caduceus & cornucopia.
You are bidding on the exact
item pictured, provided with a Certificate of Authenticity and Lifetime
Guarantee of Authenticity.
Titus
Flavius Vespasianus, commonly known as Titus (December 30, 39 –
September 13, 81), was a
Roman
Emperor who briefly reigned from 79 until his death in 81. Titus was the
second emperor of the
Flavian dynasty, which ruled the
Roman
Empire between 69 and 96, encompassing the reigns of Titus's father
Vespasian
(69–79), Titus himself (79–81) and his younger brother
Domitian
(81–96).
Prior to becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a military commander,
serving under his father in
Judaea during the
First Jewish-Roman War, which was fought between 67 and 70. The campaign
came to a brief halt with the death of emperor
Nero on June 9, 68,
launching Vespasian's bid for the imperial power during the
Year of the Four Emperors. When Vespasian was declared emperor on July 1,
69, Titus was left in charge of ending the Jewish rebellion, which he did in 70,
successfully
besieging and destroying the city and the
Temple of
Jerusalem. For this achievement Titus was awarded a
triumph; the
Arch
of Titus commemorates his victory to this day.
Under the rule of his father, Titus gained infamy in Rome serving as
prefect of the Roman imperial
bodyguard,
known as the
Praetorian Guard, and for carrying on a controversial relationship with the
Jewish queen
Berenice. Despite concerns over his character, however, Titus ruled to great
acclaim following the death of Vespasian on June 23, 79, and was considered a
good emperor by
Suetonius
and other contemporary historians. In this role he is best known for his public
building program in Rome—completing the
Flavian Amphitheatre, otherwise known as the Colosseum— and for his
generosity in relieving the suffering caused by two disasters, the
Mount Vesuvius eruption of 79 and the fire of Rome of 80. After barely two
years in office, Titus died of a
fever on
September 13, 81. He was
deified
by the
Roman Senate and succeeded by his younger brother
Domitian.
Early life
Titus was born in
Rome, probably on 30 December 39, as the eldest son of
Titus Flavius
Vespasianus—commonly known as Vespasian—and
Domitilla the Elder.[1]
He had one younger sister,
Domitilla the Younger (b. 45), and one younger brother, also named
Titus Flavius
Domitianus (b. 51), but commonly referred to as Domitian.
Decades of civil war during the 1st century BC had contributed greatly to the
demise of the old aristocracy of Rome, which was gradually replaced in
prominence by a new provincial nobility during the early part of the 1st
century.[2]
One such family was the gens
Flavia,
which rose from relative obscurity to prominence in just four generations,
acquiring wealth and status under the emperors of the
Julio-Claudian dynasty. Titus's great-grandfather,
Titus Flavius Petro, had served as a
centurion
under Pompey
during
Caesar's civil war. His military career ended in disgrace when he fled the
battlefield at the
Battle of Pharsalus in 48 BC.[3]
Nevertheless, Petro managed to improve his status by marrying the extremely
wealthy Tertulla, whose fortune guaranteed the upwards mobility of Petro's son
Titus Flavius Sabinus I, Titus's grandfather.[4]
Sabinus himself amassed further wealth and possible
equestrian status through his services as
tax
collector in Asia and banker in
Helvetia.
By marrying
Vespasia Polla he allied himself to the more prestigious
patrician gens Vespasia, ensuring the elevation of his sons
Titus Flavius Sabinus II and
Vespasian
to the
senatorial rank.[4]
The
political career of Vespasian included the offices of
quaestor,
aedile and
praetor, and
culminated with a
consulship in 51, the year Domitian was born. As a military commander, he
gained early renown by participating in the
Roman invasion of Britain in 43.[5]
What little is known of Titus's early life has been handed down to us by
Suetonius,
who records that he was brought up at the imperial court in the company of
Britannicus,[6]
the son of emperor
Claudius,
who would be murdered by
Nero in 55. The
story was even told that Titus was reclining next to Britannicus, the night he
was murdered, and sipped of the
poison that was
handed to him.[6]
Further details on his education are scarce, but it seems he showed early
promise in the
military arts and was a skilled poet and orator both in
Greek
and Latin.[7]
Military
career
From c. 57 to 59 he was a military
tribune in
Germania.
He also served in
Britannia, perhaps arriving c. 60 with reinforcements needed after
the revolt of
Boudica. In c. 63 he returned to Rome and married Arrecina Tertulla,
daughter of a former
Prefect of the Praetorian Guard. She died c. 65.[8]
Titus then took a new wife of a much more distinguished family,
Marcia Furnilla. However, Marcia's family was closely linked to the
opposition to Nero.
Her uncle
Barea
Soranus and his daughter
Servilia were among those who perished after the failed
Pisonian conspiracy of 65.[9]
Some modern historians theorize that Titus divorced his wife because of her
family's connection to the conspiracy.[10][11]
He never re-married. Titus appears to have had multiple daughters,[12]
at least one of them by Marcia Furnilla.[13]
The only one known to have survived to adulthood was
Julia
Flavia, perhaps Titus's child by Arrecina, whose mother was also named
Julia.[14]
During this period Titus also practiced law and attained the rank of
quaestor.[13]
Judaean
campaigns
In 66 the Jews of the
Judaea Province
revolted against the Roman Empire.
Cestius Gallus, the
legate of Syria, was defeated at
the battle of
Beth-Horon and forced to retreat from
Jerusalem.[15]
The pro-Roman king
Agrippa II
and his sister
Berenice fled the city to
Galilee where
they later gave themselves up to the Romans. Nero appointed Vespasian to put
down the rebellion, who was dispatched to the region at once with the
fifth and
tenth legions.[16]
He was later joined by Titus at
Ptolemais, bringing with him the
fifteenth legion.[17]
With a strength of 60,000 professional soldiers, the Romans prepared to sweep
across Galilee and march on Jerusalem.[17]
The history of the war was covered in dramatic detail by the Roman-Jewish
historian
Josephus in his work
The Wars of the Jews. Josephus served as a commander in the city of
Jotapata when the Roman army invaded Galilee in 67. After an exhausting
siege which lasted 47 days, the city fell, with an estimated 40,000 killed and
the remaining Jewish resistance committing
suicide.[18]
Josephus himself surrendered to Vespasian, became a prisoner and provided the
Romans with intelligence on the ongoing revolt.[19]
By 68, the entire coast and the north of Judaea were subjugated by the Roman
army, with decisive victories won at
Taricheae and
Gamala, where
Titus distinguished himself as a skilled general.[13][20]
Year
of the Four Emperors
The last and most significant fortress of
Jewish
resistance was Jerusalem. However the campaign came to a sudden halt when
news arrived of Nero's death.[21]
Almost simultaneously, the
Roman
Senate had declared
Galba, then
governor of
Hispania, as Emperor of Rome. Vespasian decided to await further orders, and
sent Titus to greet the new
princeps.[22]
Before reaching Italy, Titus learnt that Galba had been murdered and replaced by
Otho, governor of
Lusitania,
and that
Vitellius and his armies in
Germania
were preparing to march on the capital, intent on overthrowing Otho. Not wanting
to risk being taken hostage by one side or the other, he abandoned the journey
to Rome and rejoined his father in Judaea.[23]
Meanwhile, Otho was defeated in the
First Battle of Bedriacum and committed suicide.[24]
When the news spread across the armies in Judaea and
Ægyptus, they took matters into their own hands and declared Vespasian
emperor on July 1, 69.[25]
Vespasian accepted, and through negotiations by Titus joined forces with
Gaius Licinius
Mucianus, governor of Syria.[26]
A strong force drawn from the Judaean and Syrian legions marched on Rome under
the command of Mucianus, while Vespasian himself travelled to
Alexandria,
leaving Titus in charge to end the Jewish rebellion.[27][28]
By the end of 69 the forces of Vitellius had been beaten, and Vespasian was
officially declared emperor by the Senate on December 21, thus ending the
Year of the Four Emperors.[29]
Siege
of Jerusalem
Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem,
Francesco Hayez, oil on canvas, 1867. Depicting the destruction
and looting of the Second Temple by the Roman army.
Meanwhile the Jews had become embroiled in a
civil
conflict of their own, splitting the resistance in the city among two
factions; the
Sicarii led by
Simon Bar Giora, and the
Zealots led by
John of Gischala.[30]
Titus seized the opportunity to begin the
assault on Jerusalem. The Roman army was joined by the
twelfth legion, which was previously defeated under
Cestius Gallus, and from Alexandria Vespasian sent
Tiberius Julius Alexander, governor of Ægyptus, to act as Titus's second in
command.[31]
Titus surrounded the city, with three legions (Vth, XIIth and XVth) on the
western side and one (Xth) on the
Mount of Olives to the east. He put pressure on the food and water supplies
of the inhabitants by allowing
pilgrims to
enter the city to celebrate
Passover,
and then refusing them egress. Jewish raids continuously harassed the Roman
army, one of which nearly resulted in Titus being captured.[32]
After attempts by Josephus to negotiate a surrender had failed, the Romans
resumed hostilities and quickly breached the first and second walls of the city.[33]
To intimidate the resistance, Titus ordered
deserters
from the Jewish side to be
crucified
around the city wall.[34]
By this time the Jews had been thoroughly exhausted by
famine, and
when the weak third wall was breached bitter street fighting ensued.[35]
The Romans finally captured the
Antonia Fortress and began a frontal assault on the gates of
the Temple.[36]
According to Josephus, Titus had ordered that the Temple itself should not be
destroyed,[37]
but while the fighting around the gates continued a soldier hurled a torch
inside one of the windows, which quickly set the entire building ablaze.[38]
The later Christian chronicler
Sulpicius Severus, possibly drawing on a lost portion of
Tacitus'
Histories, claims that Titus favoured destruction of the Temple.[39]
Whatever the case, the Temple was completely demolished, after which Titus's
soldiers proclaimed him
imperator
in honor of the victory.[40]
Jerusalem was sacked and much of the population killed or dispersed.
Josephus claims that 1,100,000 people were killed during the siege, of which a
majority were Jewish.[41]
97,000 were captured and enslaved, including Simon Bar Giora and John of
Gischala.[41]
Many fled to areas around the
Mediterranean. Titus reportedly refused to accept a
wreath of
victory, as he claimed there is "no merit in vanquishing people forsaken by
their own God".[42]
Heir
to Vespasian
Unable to sail to Italy during the winter, Titus celebrated elaborate games
at
Caesarea Maritima and
Berytus, then travelled to
Zeugma on the
Euphrates,
where he was presented with a crown by
Vologases I of Parthia. While visiting
Antioch he
confirmed the traditional rights of the Jews in that city.[43]
On his way to
Alexandria,
he stopped in
Memphis to consecrate the sacred bull
Apis. According to
Suetonius,
this caused consternation; the ceremony required Titus to wear a
diadem, which the Romans associated with
kingship, and
the partisanship of Titus's legions had already led to fears that he might rebel
against his father. Titus returned quickly to Rome – hoping, says Suetonius, to
allay any suspicions about his conduct.[44]
Upon his arrival in the city in 71, Titus was awarded a
triumph.[45]
Accompanied by Vespasian and Domitian he rode into the city, enthusiastically
saluted by the Roman populace and preceded by a lavish parade containing
treasures and captives from the war. Josephus describes a procession with large
amounts of gold and silver carried along the route, followed by elaborate
re-enactments of the war, Jewish prisoners, and finally the treasures taken from
the Temple of Jerusalem, including the
Menorah and the
Pentateuch.[46]
Simon Bar Giora was executed in the
Forum, after which the procession closed with religious sacrifices at the
Temple of Jupiter.[47]
The
triumphal
Arch
of Titus, which stands at one entrance to the Forum, memorializes the
victory of Titus.
With Vespasian declared emperor, Titus and his brother Domitian likewise
received the title of Caesar from the Senate.[48]
In addition to sharing
tribunician power
with his father, Titus held seven
consulships
during Vespasian's reign[49]
and acted as his secretary, appearing in the Senate on his behalf.[49]
More crucially, he was appointed
commander of the Praetorian Guard, ensuring their loyalty to the emperor and
further solidifying Vespasian's position as a legitimate ruler.[49]
In this capacity he achieved considerable notoriety in Rome for his violent
actions, frequently ordering the execution of suspected
traitors on the spot.[49]
When in 79, a plot by
Aulus Caecina Alienus and Eprius Marcellus to overthrow Vespasian was
uncovered, Titus invited Alienus to dinner and ordered him to be stabbed before
he had even left the room.[49][50]
During the Jewish wars, Titus had begun a love affair with
Berenice, sister of
Agrippa II.[23]
The
Herodians had collaborated with the Romans during the rebellion, and
Berenice herself had supported Vespasian upon his campaign to become emperor.[51]
In 75, she returned to Titus and openly lived with him in the palace as his
promised wife. The Romans were wary of the Eastern Queen and disapproved of
their relationship. When the pair was publicly denounced by
Cynics in the
theatre, Titus caved in to the pressure and sent her away,[52]
but his reputation further suffered.
Emperor
Succession
Vespasian died of an infection on June 23 79 AD,[53]
and was immediately succeeded by his son Titus.[54]
Because of his many alleged
vices, many Romans
feared at this point that he would be another Nero.[55]
Against these expectations, however, Titus proved to be an effective emperor and
was well-loved by the population, who praised him highly when they found that he
possessed the greatest
virtues instead
of vices.[55]
One of his first acts as an emperor was to publicly order a halt to trials based
on treason charges,[56]
which had long plagued the
principate.
The law of
treason, or
maiestas law, was originally intended to prosecute those who had
corruptly 'impaired the people and majesty of Rome' by any
revolutionary action.[57]
Under Augustus,
however, this custom had been revived and applied to cover
slander or libellous writings as well,[57]
eventually leading to a long cycle of
trials and executions under such emperors as
Tiberius,
Caligula
and Nero, spawning entire
networks of
informers that terrorized Rome's political system for decades.[56]
Titus put an end to this practice, against himself or anyone else, declaring:
"It is impossible for me to be insulted or abused in any way. For I do
naught that deserves censure, and I care not for what is reported falsely.
As for the emperors who are dead and gone, they will avenge themselves in
case anyone does them a wrong, if in very truth they are demigods and
possess any power."[58]
Consequently, no
senators were put to death during his reign;[58]
he thus kept to his promise that he would assume the office of
Pontifex Maximus "for the purpose of keeping his hands
unstained".[59]
The informants were publicly punished and
banished from the
city, and Titus further prevented abuses by introducing legislation that made it
unlawful for persons to be
tried under different laws for the same offense.[56]
Finally, when Berenice returned to Rome, he sent her away.[55]
As emperor he became known for his generosity, and
Suetonius
states that upon realising he had brought no benefit to anyone during a whole
day he remarked, "Friends, I have lost a day."[56]
Challenges
Although his administration was marked by a relative absence of major
military or political conflicts, Titus faced a number of major disasters during
his brief reign. On August 24, 79, barely two months after his accession,
Mount Vesuvius erupted,[60]
resulting in the almost complete destruction of life and property in the cities
and resort communities around the
Bay of Naples. The cities of
Pompeii and
Herculaneum were buried under metres of stone and
lava,[61]
killing thousands of citizens.[62]
Titus appointed two ex-consuls to organise and coordinate the
relief effort, while personally donating large amounts of money from the
imperial treasury to aid the victims of the volcano.[56]
Additionally, he visited Pompeii once after the eruption and again the following
year.[63]
During the second visit, in spring of AD 80, a fire broke out in Rome,
burning large parts of the city for three days and three nights.[56][63]
Although the extent of the damage was not as disastrous as during the
Great Fire of 64—crucially sparing the many districts of
insulae—Cassius
Dio records a long list of important public buildings that were destroyed,
including Agrippa's
Pantheon, the
Temple of Jupiter, the
Diribitorium, parts of
Pompey's Theatre and the
Saepta
Julia among others.[63]
Once again, Titus personally compensated for the damaged regions.[63]
According to Suetonius, a
plague similarly struck during the fire.[56]
The nature of the disease, however, or the
death toll are unknown.
Meanwhile war had resumed in
Britannia, where
Gnaeus Julius Agricola pushed further into
Caledonia
and managed to establish several forts there.[64]
As a result of his actions, Titus received the title of
Imperator for the fifteenth time.[65]
His reign also saw the rebellion led by
Terentius Maximus, one of several false Neros who continued to appear
throughout the 70s.[66]
Although Nero was primarily known as a universally hated
tyrant—there is
evidence that for much of his reign, he remained highly popular in the eastern
provinces. Reports that Nero had in fact survived the assassination attempts
were fueled by the vague circumstances surrounding his death and several
prophecies
foretelling his return.[67]
According to Cassius Dio, Terentius Maximus resembled Nero in voice and
appearance and, like him, sang to the
lyre.[58]
Terentius established a following in
Asia minor but was soon forced to flee beyond the
Euphrates,
taking refuge with the
Parthians.[58][66]
In addition, sources state that Titus discovered that his brother Domitian was
plotting against him but refused to have him killed or banished.[59][68]
Public
works
Construction of the Flavian Amphitheatre, presently better known as the
Colosseum,
was begun in 70 under
Vespasian
and finally completed in 80 under Titus.[69]
In addition to providing spectacular entertainments to the Roman populace, the
building was also conceived as a gigantic triumphal monument to commemorate the
military achievements of the Flavians during the
Jewish wars.[70]
The
inaugural games lasted for a hundred days and were said to be extremely
elaborate, including
gladiatorial
combat, fights between wild animals (elephants
and
cranes), mock
naval
battles for which the theatre was flooded,
horse races and
chariot races.[71]
During the games, wooden balls were dropped into the audience, inscribed with
various prizes (clothing,
gold, or even
slaves), which could then be traded for the designated item.[71]
Adjacent to the amphitheatre, within the precinct of Nero's
Golden
House, Titus had also ordered the construction of a new public
bath-house,
which was to
bear his name.[71]
Construction of this building was hastily finished to coincide with the
completion of the Flavian Amphitheatre.[55]
Practice of the
imperial cult was revived by Titus, though apparently it met with some
difficulty as Vespasian was not deified until six months after his death.[72]
To further honor and glorify the
Flavian dynasty, foundations were laid for what would later become the
Temple of Vespasian and Titus, which was finished by Domitian.[73][74]
Death
At the closing of the games, Titus officially dedicated the amphitheatre and
the baths, which was to be his final recorded act as an emperor.[68]
He set out for the
Sabine territories but fell ill at the first posting station[75]
where he died of a
fever, reportedly in the same farm-house as his father.[76]
Allegedly, the last words he uttered before passing away were: "I have made but
one mistake".[75][68]
Titus had ruled the
Roman
Empire for just over two years, from the death of his father in 79 to his
own on September 13 81.[68]
He was succeeded by Domitian, whose first act as emperor was to
deify
his brother.[77]
Historians have speculated on the exact nature of his death, and to which
mistake Titus alluded in his final words.
Philostratus writes that he was poisoned by Domitian with a
sea hare, and that his death had been foretold to him by
Apollonius of Tyana.[78]
Suetonius and Cassius Dio maintain he died of natural causes, but both accuse
Domitian of having left the ailing Titus for dead.[77][68]
Consequently, Dio believes Titus's mistake refers to his failure to have his
brother executed when he was found to be openly plotting against him.[68]
According to the
Babylonian Talmud (Gittin
56b), an insect
flew into Titus's nose and picked at his brain for seven years. He noticed that
the sound of a blacksmith hammering caused the ensuing pain to abate, so he paid
for blacksmiths to hammer nearby him; however, the effect wore off and the
insect resumed its gnawing. When he died, they opened his skull and found the
insect had grown to the size of a bird. The Talmud gives this as the cause of
his death and interprets it as divine retribution for his wicked actions.[79]
Legacy
Historiography
Titus's record among ancient historians stands as one of the most exemplary
of any emperor. All the surviving accounts from this period, many of them
written by his own contemporaries, present a highly favourable view towards
Titus. His character has especially prospered in comparison with that of his
brother Domitian.
The Wars of the Jews offers a first-hand,
eye-witness
account on the Jewish rebellion and the character of Titus. The
neutrality of
Josephus'
writings has come into question however as he was heavily indebted to the
Flavians. In 71, he arrived in Rome in the entourage of Titus, became a
Roman citizen and took on the Roman
nomen Flavius and
praenomen
Titus from his patrons. He received an annual pension and lived in the palace.[80]
It was while in Rome, and under Flavian
patronage,
that Josephus wrote all of his known works. The War of the Jews is
heavily slanted against the leaders of the revolt, portraying the rebellion as
weak and unorganized, and even blaming the Jews for causing the war.[81]
The credibility of Josephus as a historian has subsequently come under fire.[82]
Another contemporary of Titus was
Publius Cornelius
Tacitus, who started his public career in 80 or 81 and credits the Flavian
dynasty with his elevation.[83]
The Histories—his account of this period—was published during the reign
of Trajan.
Unfortunately only the first five books from this work have survived until the
present day, with the text on Titus's and Domitian's reign entirely lost.
Suetonius
Tranquilius gives a short but highly favourable account on Titus's reign in
The Lives of Twelve Caesars,[84]
emphasizing his military achievements and his generosity as Emperor, in short
describing him as follows:
Titus, of the same surname as his father, was the delight and darling of
the human race; such surpassing ability had he, by nature, art, or good
fortune, to win the affections of all men, and that, too, which is no easy
task, while he was emperor.[84]
Finally,
Cassius
Dio wrote his
Roman History over a hundred years after the death of Titus. He shares a
similar outlook as Suetonius, possibly even using the latter as a source, but is
more reserved, noting:
His satisfactory record may also have been due to the fact that he
survived his accession but a very short time, for he was thus given no
opportunity for wrongdoing. For he lived after this only two years, two
months and twenty days — in addition to the thirty-nine years, five months
and twenty-five days he had already lived at that time. In this respect,
indeed, he is regarded as having equalled the long reign of
Augustus,
since it is maintained that Augustus would never have been loved had he
lived a shorter time, nor Titus had he lived longer. For Augustus, though at
the outset he showed himself rather harsh because of the wars and the
factional strife, was later able, in the course of time, to achieve a
brilliant reputation for his kindly deeds; Titus, on the other hand, ruled
with mildness and died at the height of his glory, whereas, if he had lived
a long time, it might have been shown that he owes his present fame more to
good fortune than to merit.[54]
Pliny the Elder, who later died during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius,[85]
dedicated his
Naturalis Historia to Titus.[86]
In contrast to the ideal portrayal of Titus in Roman histories, in Jewish
memory "Titus the Wicked" is remembered as an evil oppressor and destroyer of
the Temple. For example, one legend in the Babylonian Talmud describes Titus as
having had sex with a whore on a Torah scroll inside the Temple during its
destruction.[87]
Titus
in later arts
The war in Judaea and the life of Titus, particularly his relationship with
Berenice, have inspired writers and artists through the centuries. The
bas-relief in the Arch of Titus has been influential in the depiction of the
destruction of Jerusalem, with the
Menorah frequently being used to symbolise the looting of the
Second Temple.
Literature
-
Bérénice, a play by
Jean
Racine (1670) which focuses on the love affair between Titus and
Berenice.
-
Tite et Bérénice, a play by
Pierre Corneille which was in competition with Racine the same year, and
concerns the same subject matter.
-
La clemenza di Tito, an
opera by
Mozart, about a fictional romance between Emperor Titus and Vitellia,
daughter of
Vitellius.
-
The Josephus Trilogy, novels by
Lion Feuchtwanger, about the life of
Flavius
Josephus and his relation with the Flavian dynasty.
-
Der jüdische Krieg (Josephus), 1932
-
Die Söhne (The Jews of Rome), 1935
-
Der Tag wird kommen (The day will come, Josephus
and the Emperor), 1942
-
The
Marcus Didius Falco novels, which take place during the reign of
Vespasian.
-
The Roman Mysteries, a series of children's books which take place
during the reign of Titus.
-
The High School
Latin textbook series
Ecce
Romani takes place during the reign of Titus.
Paintings
-
The Destruction of Jerusalem by Titus by
Wilhelm von Kaulbach (1846). Oil on canvas, 585 x 705 cm. Neue
Pinakothek,
Munichh. An allegorical depiction of the
destruction of Jerusalem, dramatically centered around the figure of
Titus.
-
The Destruction of the Temple at Jerusalem
Nicolas Poussin (1637). Oil on canvas, 147 x 198,5 cm. Kunsthistorisches
Museum, Vienna. Depicts the destruction and looting of the Second Temple by
the Roman army led by Titus.
-
The Destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem by
Francesco Hayez (1867). Oil on canvas, 183 x 252 cm. Galleria d'Arte
Moderna, Venice.
Depicts the destruction and looting of the Second Temple by the Roman army.
-
The Siege and Destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans Under the Command of
Titus, A.D. 70 by
David Roberts (1850). Oil on canvas, 136 x 197 cm. Private collection.
Depicts the burning and looting of Jerusalem by the Roman army under Titus.
-
The Triumph of Titus and Vespasian by
Giulio Romano (1540). Oil on wood, 170 x 120 cm.
Louvre,
Paris.
Depicts Titus and Vespasian as they ride into Rome on a triumphal chariot,
preceded by a parade carrying spoils from the war in Judaea. The painting
anachronistically features the Arch of Titus, which was not completed
until the reign of Domitian.
-
The Triumph of Titus by
Lawrence Alma-Tadema (1885). Oil on canvas. Private collection. This
painting depicts the triumphal procession of Titus and his family. Alma-Tadema
was known for his meticulous historical research on the ancient world.[88]
Vespasian, dressed as
Pontifex Maximus, walks at the head of his family, followed by Domitian
and his first wife
Domitia Longina, who he had only recently married. Behind Domitian
follows Titus, dressed in religious regalia. An exchange of glances between
Titus and Domitia suggests an affair which historians have speculated upon.
|