Arch of Titus | History, Reliefs, & Facts) | Britannica (original) (raw)
Arch of Titus, triumphal arch, located on the Via Sacra near the Roman Forum, in Rome, Italy. Designed to glorify the memory of individual emperors and their deeds, Rome’s monumental arches were also focal points for the magnificent triumphal processions that were staged in the city to welcome home victorious armies after their campaigns. At least 36 of these structures were erected in ancient Rome by the 4th century CE, and the Arch of Titus is the oldest of the three surviving examples.
The arch was built shortly after the death of Titus in 81 CE and was commissioned by his brother Domitian, who succeeded him as emperor. It is decorated with a series of carvings celebrating Titus’s most illustrious victory—the struggle against Jewish rebels that culminated in the capture of Jerusalem in 70 CE. The sculptures depict Roman soldiers carrying off treasures looted from the temple; they also refer to the emperor’s deification after his death. In one scene, the new god parades triumphantly in his celestial chariot and is crowned by the goddess of victory; in the vault underneath the arch, Titus is shown ascending into the heavens, borne aloft on the wings of a gigantic eagle.
The appearance of the monument has changed considerably since Roman times. Originally, there may have been a statue of the emperor on the summit, with further sculptures on the facades. These had been lost by the 11th century, when new structures were added to the top and the sides of the arch as it was incorporated into a defensive wall. In 1821 Giuseppe Valadier undertook a comprehensive restoration of the site. During this process, the arch was completely dismantled and reassembled in its present form, with travertine (rather than the original marble) used to indicate restored portions and a new inscription added.