Arch of Titus

In AD 66 Jewish Zealots started a revolt against the Roman occupation of Judea. Vespasian was sent from Rome to crush the revolt. After Vespasian became emperor, his son Titus took over.
Titus captured Jerusalem in AD 70 with four legions and the revolt was completely crushed after the fall of the Masada fortress in AD 72.

In AD 79 Titus became emperor of the Roman empire. He died just two years later, in September AD 81. The popular emperor was soon deified by the Roman Senate. His son, emperor Domitian built the Arch of Titus that same year both to honor his brother and to commemorate the victory in the Jewish War. The arch was dedicated in AD 85 with large festivities.

The 15m high arch is located at the Forum Romanum, at the highest point of the Via Sacra. It is the oldest surviving example of a Roman arch.
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 inscriptions in the frieze (see right) which mean 'The Roman Senate and People to Deified Titus, Vespasian Augustus, son of Deified Vespasian' were originally in bronze. The reliefs were also colored and the arch was topped by a bronze quadriga.

In the 11th century the arch was integrated into a fortress built by the Frangipani family. In 1821 the arch was restored by Giuseppe Valadier. The outer sides were rebuilt between 1822 and 1823 in travertine instead of marble, so they would be distinguishable from the original.