Arch of Titus

The Arch of Titus is a 1st-century honorific arch^[1] located on the Via Sacra, Rome, just to the south-east of the Roman Forum. It was constructed in c.82 AD by the Roman EmperorDomitian shortly after the death of his older brother Titus to commemorate Titus' victories, including the Siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

The Arch of Titus has provided the general model for many of thetriumphal arches erected since the 16th century—perhaps most famously it is the inspiration for the 1806 Arc de Triomphe inParis, France, completed in 1836.

History

The Arch of Titus

Detail from the Arch of Titus showing spoils from the Sack of Jerusalem

Based on the style of sculptural details, Domitian's favored architect Rabirius, sometimes credited with the Colosseum, may have executed the arch. Without contemporary documentation, however, attributions of Roman buildings on basis of style are considered shaky.

The Frangipani family turned it into a fortified tower in the Middle Ages.^[3]

It was one of the first buildings sustaining a modern restoration, starting with Raffaele Stern in 1817 and continued by Valadier under Pius VII in 1821, with new capitals and with travertine masonry, distinguishable from the original. The restoration was a model for the country side of Porta Pia.^[3][4]

[edit]Significance

The Arch provides one of the few contemporary depictions of Temple period artifacts.^[5][6] The seven-branched menorah and trumpets are clearly depicted. It became a symbol of the Jewishdiaspora. In a later era, Pope Paul IV made it the place of a yearly oath of submission. Roman Jews refused to walk under it. The menorah depicted on the Arch served as the model for the menorah used on the emblem of the state of Israel.^{[citation needed]} However, when David Ben Gurion declared independence for the State of Israel, the chief rabbi gathered the entire Roman Jewish community by the arch and in solemn procession, walked the opposite way under the arch to symbolise the return to Jerusalem and Israel.

[edit]Architectural influence

Works modeled on, or inspired by, the Arch of Titus include:

• Facade of the Basilica di Sant'Andrea di Mantova (1462) by Leon Battista Alberti
• The Arc de Triomphe (1806), Paris, France
• The National Memorial Arch (1910) at Valley Forge National Historical Park, Pennsylvania, USA
• The Soldier's and Sailor's arch at Grand Army Plaza, in Brooklyn
• The arch at Washington Square Park, New York
• The India Gate, New Delhi, India (1931)
• The Fusiliers' Arch, Dublin (1907)

Activity

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