The Jewish War and the destruction of Jerusalem

To understand the Arch of Titus, one must begin with the events it commemorates: the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73 AD), the largest Roman military operation in the Levant between the 1st and 2nd centuries AD.

The Jewish revolt of 66 AD against Roman rule broke out in Judea for both fiscal and religious reasons. Emperor Nero charged the general Vespasian with suppressing the revolt. When Vespasian was proclaimed emperor in 69 AD, command of the campaign passed to his son Titus.

The siege of Jerusalem began in the spring of 70 AD. After five months, in August 70, Roman forces broke through the final defences. The Second Temple — the religious heart of Judaism, housing the Menorah, the Ark of the Covenant and the treasury — was destroyed. The historian Josephus, an eyewitness, describes the fire as accidental; other accounts report it as deliberate.

The war booty brought to Rome included the sacred vessels of the Temple: the seven-branched Menorah, the silver trumpets and the Table of the Shewbread. These objects featured in the triumphal procession along the Via Sacra in 71 AD, with Vespasian and Titus parading through Rome.

The construction of the arch

Titus died in 81 AD, of illness, after only two years of reign. He was beloved by the Romans — he had overseen the construction of the Colosseum (inaugurated in 80 AD) and the management of the aftermath of the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD.

The Arch of Titus was commissioned by Emperor Domitian (Titus's brother) in honour of the deceased. It was erected on the summit of the Velia — the ridge separating the Roman Forum from the Colosseum, along the Via Sacra.

The arch is in Pentelic marble (from Athens) with travertine for the foundations. Its dimensions: height 15.4 m, width 13.5 m, depth 4.75 m. It is a single-bay arch — one archway, unlike the three bays of the Arch of Septimius Severus or the Arch of Constantine.

The inscription on the east side reads: SENATUS POPULUSQUE ROMANUS DIVO TITO DIVI VESPASIANI F. VESPASIANO AUGUSTO "The Senate and People of Rome to the Divine Emperor Titus, son of the Divine Vespasian." The epithet Divus — placing him among the gods — was added after his death.

The interior reliefs: the Menorah and the triumph

The two panels inside the arch are among the most important surviving historical reliefs of antiquity.

North panel: the Temple spoils

The panel shows Roman soldiers carrying the sacred objects of the Temple of Jerusalem in procession:

  • The seven-branched Menorah — represented with precision, on a decorated octagonal base, carried on litters by a group of soldiers
  • The silver trumpets (two long straight trumpets)
  • The Table of the Shewbread (the table on which sacred loaves were offered in the Temple)
  • Several plaques bearing inscriptions with the names of conquered places

This panel is the only surviving ancient representation of the Menorah — the object that then became the national symbol of the State of Israel in 1948 (the Menorah on the Israeli coat of arms is based on this very relief).

South panel: the triumph of Titus

The panel shows Titus on the triumphal chariot, drawn by four horses (quadriga), with the goddess Victory (Nike) crowning him from above and the goddess Roma guiding the horses. Titus is portrayed in imperial robes, with a laurel crown.

The chariot is surrounded by lictors and symbolic figures. The composition has strong perspective, with the chariot moving from left to right.

The vault of the arch

At the centre of the vault is carved a scene of apotheosis: Titus carried towards the sky on an eagle — the symbol of imperial deification. This motif was conventional for deceased emperors granted divus (divine status).

The Jewish significance of the arch

For the Jewish community of Rome and more broadly for the Jewish world, the Arch of Titus carries a profoundly different meaning from the triumphal one.

The tradition of non-passage: for many centuries, Roman Jews observed the custom of not walking under the arch, as a symbolic refusal to celebrate the destruction of the Temple. This practice was followed by the Roman Jewish community until 1948, when the founding of the State of Israel brought a "symbolic reclamation" of the arch: the Jewish community marched through the arch in the opposite direction to the Roman triumphal procession — as an act of posthumous triumph.

The Menorah as symbol: the relief was studied carefully in the 19th and 20th centuries when designing the emblem of the new State of Israel. The octagonal base visible in the relief differs from the traditional medieval Jewish representation; the final design of the Israeli coat of arms was based precisely on the Menorah of the Arch of Titus.

The arch in the Middle Ages

Like many Forum buildings, the Arch of Titus was incorporated into medieval structures. In the 12th–13th centuries AD it was an integral part of the fortifications of the Frangipane family, who used the Velia as a defensive position within Rome. The arch was partially walled up and converted into a tower.

This transformation paradoxically contributed to its preservation: the medieval walls protected the foundations from the systematic extraction of building material that destroyed many other Forum structures.

Valadier's restoration (1821)

In 1821, Pope Pius VII commissioned the architect Giuseppe Valadier to restore the arch. Valadier had to fill numerous lacunae in the marble — missing parts of the attic storey, the columns and the cornice.

Valadier's restoration is an early example of philological restoration: the integrated sections are in travertine, clearly distinguishable from the original Pentelic marble. This principle — the visible distinction between original and restoration — anticipated by over a century the modern principles of architectural restoration.

Today this distinction is clearly visible: the light, smooth parts are original Roman marble; the darker, granulated parts are Valadier's travertine.

Influence on later triumphal arches

The Arch of Titus is the direct model for numerous European triumphal arches in subsequent centuries.

The Arch of Constantine (Rome, 315 AD) — the largest surviving Roman triumphal arch — stands a few metres from the Arch of Titus, at the end of the Via Sacra towards the Colosseum. It has a higher central bay and two smaller lateral ones, but the compositional principles derive from the Arch of Titus.

The Arc de Triomphe (Paris, 1806–1836) by Jean-François Chalgrin was commissioned by Napoleon as a triumphal arch for his campaigns. The structure and iconographic programme are directly inspired by Roman antiquity.

The Arco della Pace (Milan, 1807–1838) follows the same tradition.

How to visit it today

The Arch of Titus stands at the eastern end of the Roman Forum, on the Via Sacra, between the Forum and the Colosseum. It is included in the combined Colosseum–Roman Forum–Palatine ticket.

To observe the interior reliefs with proper attention:

  • The side panels are best seen in moderate daylight (direct midday sun creates reflections)
  • The vault with the apotheosis requires looking upward inside the arch: it is often overlooked by visitors
  • Valadier's travertine is most visible in the upper attic storey and columns

Visiting with a private driver

The Arch of Titus stands on the Via Sacra, accessible on foot from the Colosseum.

Visit the Arch of Titus with a private driver: reach it from the Colosseum in minutes, with the combined ticket covering both sites. Service from €49. → Book your driver at myromedriver.com

Frequently asked questions

Is the Arch of Titus included in the Roman Forum ticket? Yes. It stands within the Roman Forum area and the combined ticket (Colosseum + Forum + Palatine, €16) includes access.

Why did Jews traditionally not walk under the Arch of Titus? As a symbolic refusal to celebrate the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem and the deportation of the Jewish people, represented in the reliefs. The tradition was followed by the Roman Jewish community for centuries.

Is the Menorah shown on the arch the original one from the Temple? The relief depicts the Menorah brought to Rome in 71 AD. The original Menorah was later taken to Carthage by the Vandals in 455 AD, and its trail goes cold after that point.

Why do some parts of the arch have a different colour? The darker travertine sections are Valadier's 1821 restoration work, clearly distinguishable from the original Roman Pentelic marble.

What is the connection between the Arch of Titus and the Israeli emblem? The Menorah depicted in the north panel of the arch was used as a direct model for the Menorah in the State of Israel's coat of arms (1949).

Article no. 42 — TIER S — MON-03 Roman Forum + Palatine Type: HISTORY Words: ~2,400

See also