THE RUINS OF ROME
The Arch of Titus
FIVE
Through tiers of crowded seats that flanked their line of march, Titus and Vespasian rode in their triumphal procession in 70 A. D. Jerusalem had been conquered, and the Temple burned and destroyed. This celebration was called the “Triumph,” which was given by Rome to all her successful generals on their return from campaigns. It had been a hard task for Titus to conquer rebellious Jerusalem. Oppression and extortion by the Roman rulers had risen to such a height that the Jews were driven at last into desperate resistance to the overwhelming power of Rome. Vespasian was sent by Emperor Nero to subdue them. All Galilee was soon subjugated, and only Jerusalem remained unconquered.
When Vespasian returned to Rome and became Emperor, he sent his son Titus to subdue Jerusalem. Titus arrived upon the heights near Jerusalem and began to besiege the city. He captured the first and second walls. Then he built a wall round the city, and soon had it in a state of famine.
At length all the city was captured but the Temple. Here the Jews made their last stand. Titus wished to save the Temple; but his soldiers set fire to it and plundered it. A terrible massacre of all the inhabitants of Jerusalem followed. Then the prisoners and spoils were borne to Rome.
The next year Titus and Vespasian had their Triumph. The Senate and other chief men led the procession. Then came the spoils, with persons bearing title boards or placards, from which the spectators might find out the history of all the objects that passed before them. There were silver, gold, and ivory in all kinds of forms, gems set and unset, tapestries of the rarest Babylonian embroidery; there were various foreign animals dressed in gorgeous trappings.
But what interested the spectators the most was the large, high platforms, on which were exhibited parts of the campaign,—models of cities, temples, fortresses, assaulted, captured, in ruins or in flames, representations of the hostile armies in all the different forms of war. Then came the models of captured ships. Priests with bulls for sacrifice followed.
Seven hundred Hebrew youths as prisoners marched next. Then came the spoils from the Temple of Jerusalem,—the Golden Table, the Golden Candlestick, and last of all the Book of the Law.
Emperor Vespasian, followed by Titus, each in a separate chariot, rode next in the procession, with Domitian, who was the younger son of Vespasian, and consul, on horseback. After them came the soldiers who had been in the war, crowned with laurel leaves and shouting songs of victory. Thus the triumphal procession went along the Sacred Way.
When they came to the Temple, Simon, the general of the Hebrews, was put to death, according to custom. The leader of the conquered army was always killed at the Triumph of the conquering general. The other prisoners were made either gladiators or slaves. After Simon had been put to death sacrifices were offered to the gods, and all departed to the waiting banquets.
The Arch of Titus was built on the Sacred Way to commemorate this Triumph. It was one of the earliest of those twenty-one arches with which Rome was once adorned. The exact date of erection is not known; but it must have been after the death of Titus, for on the ceiling of the vault of the arch Titus is represented as sitting astride an eagle. At the funeral of a Roman emperor an eagle was released, on whose back the soul of the emperor was supposed to mount to Heaven, there to dwell among the gods forever.
PREPARED BY THE EDITORIAL STAFF OF THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION
ILLUSTRATION FOR THE MENTOR, VOL. 1, No. 45, SERIAL No. 46
COPYRIGHT, 1913, BY THE MENTOR ASSOCIATION, INC.
THE TIBER AND HADRIAN’S TOMB, ROME