Arch of titus

The Arch provides one of the few contemporary depictions of Temple period artifacts. [6][7] The seven-branched menorah and trumpets are clearly depicted. It became a symbol of the Jewish diaspora. In a later era, Pope Paul IV made it the place of a yearly oath of submission. Jews refuse to walk under it. [citation needed] 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 the existence of modern State of Israel was formally declared, the entire Roman Jewish community spontaneously gathered by the arch and in joyful celebration, walked backwards under the arch to symbolize beginning of the long-awaited redemption from the Roman Exile. [8] The inscription in Roman square capitals reads: SENATVS POPVLVSQVE ·ROMANVS DIVO ·TITO ·DIVI ·VESPASIANI ·F(ILIO) VESPASIANO ·AVGVSTO (Senatus Populusque Romanus divo Tito divi Vespasiani filio Vespasiano Augusto) which means The Roman Senate and People (dedicate this) to the divine Titus Vespasianus Augustus, son of the divine Vespasian. The opposite side of the Arch of Titus received new inscriptions after it was restored during the pontificate of Pope Pius VII by Giuseppe Valadier in 1821. The restoration was intentionally made in travertine to differentiate between the original and the restored portions. The inscription reads: INSIGNE  · RELIGIONIS  · ATQVE  · ARTIS  · MONVMENTVM VETVSTATE  · FATISCENS PIVS  · SEPTIMVS  · PONTIFEX  · MAX(IMVS) NOVIS  · OPERIBVS  · PRISCVM  · EXEMPLAR  · IMITANTIBVS FVLCIRI  · SERVARIQVE  · IVSSIT ANNO  · SACRI  · PRINCIPATVS  · EIVS  · XXIIII (Insigne religionis atque artis, monumentum, vetustate fatiscens: Pius Septimus, Pontifex Maximus, novis operibus priscum exemplar imitantibus fulciri servarique iussit. Anno sacri principatus eius XXIV) (This) monument, remarkable in terms of both religion and art, had weakened from age: Pius the Seventh, Supreme Pontiff, by new works on the model of the ancient exemplar ordered it reinforced and preserved. †¢ In the year of his sacred rulership the 24th †¢ 1The 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 Emperor Domitian 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 the triumphal arches erected since the 16th century—perhaps most famously it is the inspiration for the 1806 Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, completed in 1836. The arch is large with both fluted and unfluted columns, the latter being a result of 19th century restoration. [2] The spandrels on the upper left and right of the arch contain personifications of victory as winged women. Between the spandrels is the keystone, on which there stands a female on the East side and a male on the West side. [2] Detail of the central soffit coffers The soffit of the axial archway is deeply coffered with a relief of the apotheosis of Titus at the center. The sculptural program also includes two panel reliefs lining the passageway within the arch. Both commemorate the joint triumph celebrated by Titus and his father Vespasian in the summer of 71. The south panel depicts the spoils taken from the Temple in Jerusalem. The Golden Candelabra or Menorah is the main focus and is carved in deep relief. Other sacred objects being carried in the triumphal procession are the Gold Trumpets and the Table of Shew bread. [2] These spoils were likely originally colored gold, with the background in blue. [2] In 2012 the Arch of Titus Digital Restoration Project discovered remains of yellow ochre paint on the menorah relief. [3] The north panel depicts Titus as triumphator attended by various genii and lictors, who carry fasces. A helmeted Amazonian, Valour, leads thequadriga or four horsed chariot, which carries Titus. Winged Victory crowns him with a laurel wreath. [2] The juxtaposition is significant in that it is one of the first examples of divinities and humans being present in one scene together. This contrasts with the panels of the Ara Pacis, where humans and divinities are separated. [2] The sculpture of the outer faces of the two great piers was lost when the Arch of Titus was incorporated in medieval defensive walls. The attic of the arch was originally crowned by more statuary, perhaps of a gilded chariot. [2] The main inscription used to be ornamented by letters made of perhaps silver, gold or some other metal At the inside of the arch are two panels with reliefs. One depicts the triumphal procession with the spoils taken from the Second Temple in Jerusalem the seven-branched candelabrum or Menorah, the silver trumpets and the Table of the Shewbread. The other one shows Titus in a chariot accompanied by the goddess Victoria and the goddess Roma. The Arcus Titi, or Arch of Titus, was ostensibly erected to honor Titus and his father Vespasian because of their victories in the first Jewish War and their triumphal procession in AD 71. [1] The monument was built sometime after Titus’ death in AD 81. The arch sits at the eastern end of the Roman Forum at the intersection of the Sacra Via with a road leading up from the Coliseum. [2] No ancient sources describe or even mention the arch, a fact that leaves the history and interpretation of the arch with significant gaps. [1] The exact period of construction is unknown, with the majority opinion being that it was built during the reign of Titus’ brother, Domitian. [1] The arch may also have been constructed after Domitian had been assassinated, during the rule of Nerva and Trajan. [3] The arch was constructed of Pentelic marble on a travertine foundation. [1] The dimensions of this arch are 15. 4 meters tall, 13. 5 m. wide, and 4. 75 m. deep. The archway is 8. 3 m. high and 5. 36 m. wide. [1] Above the archway is a simple entablature with inscription, preserved only on the eastern, Coliseum side: