# Arch of Titus (DD-690)

> The Arch of Titus stands on the Velia at the eastern edge of the Roman Forum, where the Via Sacra climbs toward the Palatine. Its dedication (CIL VI 945) honors 'divus' Titus, meaning Titus after his death and deification. So it's dated after Titus died in 81 CE, to the early reign of his brother Domitian, around 81-82 CE. Its reliefs celebrate the Roman triumph that Titus and his father Vespasian held in 71 CE after the Judaean War, in which Roman forces captured Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple in 70 CE. The south panel shows soldiers carrying the Temple's spoils, including the seven-branched menorah. The north panel shows Titus in his chariot, crowned by Victory, and the vault shows his apotheosis. The arch is mostly Pentelic marble. In the Middle Ages it was built into a fortress, and Giuseppe Valadier restored it in the 1820s, filling missing parts with travertine. Its menorah image was later chosen as the basis for the emblem of the State of Israel.

- Department: History (also Locations)
- First published: 2026-01-07
- Last updated: 2026-01-07
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/arch-of-titus/
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## On the timeline

- **70 CE**: Roman forces capture Jerusalem and destroy the Second Temple
- **71 CE**: Vespasian and Titus hold their triumph in Rome
- **81-82 CE**: Titus dies; Domitian builds the arch for the deified Titus
- **1820s**: Giuseppe Valadier restores the arch, filling missing parts with travertine

Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=arch-of-titus

## Quick facts

- **DD-690-F01**: The arch's inscription honors Titus as 'divus', after his death and deification. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (Built for a deified emperor))_
- **DD-690-F02**: The south relief shows the menorah carried among the Temple's spoils. _(Write-up · Exhibit C (The spoils panel))_

## Write-up

Carved spoils of Jerusalem's Temple. Domitian's arch honors his deified brother Titus.

1. **Built for a deified emperor**: The inscription honors 'divus' Titus, meaning Titus after his death in 81 CE, so the arch is dated to Domitian's early reign, around 81-82 CE.
2. **The war it marks**: The reliefs celebrate the 71 CE triumph of Titus and Vespasian after the Judaean War, in which Jerusalem and its Second Temple were destroyed in 70 CE.
3. **The spoils panel**: The south panel shows the Temple's spoils carried in procession, including the seven-branched menorah. The north panel shows Titus in his chariot, crowned by Victory.
4. **Marble and restoration**: The arch is mostly Pentelic marble. After centuries inside a medieval fortress, Giuseppe Valadier restored it in the 1820s, filling missing parts with travertine.
5. **A lasting image**: The arch's menorah was later chosen as the basis for the emblem of the State of Israel.

## Related case files

- [The Wailing Wall (DD-673)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-wailing-wall/): Another case about the Second Temple, destroyed by Roman forces in 70 CE
- [The Chronicles of Georgia (DD-028)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/chronicles-of-georgia/): Another monument carved with a nation's history
- [The Colosseum (DD-121)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/the-colosseum/): I paired it with the arch next door, built for the same emperor
- [Unlimited Bladeworks (DD-572)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/unlimited-bladeworks/): Another monument to a military victory
- [da Vinci's Double Helix (DD-688)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/da-vincis-double-helix/): Another architecture-history case

## Reel vs. record

- **Timing nuance**: Domitian built the arch after Titus died in 81 CE, to honor his deified brother. It's dated to around 81-82 CE.
- **Missing context**: it commemorates the 71 CE triumph after the Judaean War, in which Roman forces destroyed the Second Temple in 70 CE.
- **Note**: 'White marble' is simplified: it's mostly Pentelic marble, and Valadier's 1820s restoration filled missing sections with travertine.
- **Footage**: some opening shots show a three-bay arch (likely the Arch of Septimius Severus or Constantine), not the single-bay Arch of Titus. The relief and vault shots do match.
- **Label**: the Colosseum Archaeological Park notes that a separate arch for Titus stood at the Circus Maximus, and the Forum arch may not have served as a triumphal gateway.

## Video: Arch of Titus: Carved Spoils of Jerusalem's Temple

- Duration: 24.2 s · Published: 2026-01-07
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/DTOSORXEjTT.mp4

### Transcript

DID YOU KNOW? The Arch of Titus is a first century AD triumphal arch located on the Via Sacra in Rome, built by Emperor Domitian ~81 CE to commemorate the victories of his brother Titus, particularly the Roman conquest of Jerusalem in 70 CE. Constructed of white marble, the single arch structure features detailed relief panels depicting scenes such as the spoils of the temple of Jerusalem, including the menorah being carried in a celebratory procession. NOW YOU KNOW!

## Questions & answers

**Q: Which emperor built the Arch of Titus?**  
A: Domitian, Titus's brother. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Built for a deified emperor) · Parco archeologico del Colosseo: Arch of Titus; Judaism and Rome: Arch of Titus, Roman Forum (81-82 CE))_

**Q: When did Roman forces destroy the Second Temple in Jerusalem?**  
A: 70 CE. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (The war it marks) · Judaism and Rome: Arch of Titus, Roman Forum (81-82 CE); Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies: Arch of Titus)_

**Q: Which object is shown in the spoils panel?**  
A: The seven-branched menorah. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (The spoils panel) · Parco archeologico del Colosseo: Arch of Titus; Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies: Arch of Titus)_

**Q: Who restored the arch in the 1820s?**  
A: Giuseppe Valadier. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Marble and restoration) · Judaism and Rome: Arch of Titus, Roman Forum (81-82 CE); Urbem Hierusolymam delevit: The Arch of Titus in the Circus Maximus (York University); Parco archeologico del Colosseo: Arch of Titus)_

**Q: What does the inscription's 'divus' tell us?**  
A: It honors the deified Titus. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Built for a deified emperor) · Parco archeologico del Colosseo: Arch of Titus; Judaism and Rome: Arch of Titus, Roman Forum (81-82 CE))_

## Sources

- [Parco archeologico del Colosseo: Arch of Titus](https://colosseo.it/en/restauri/arch-of-titus/)
- [Judaism and Rome: Arch of Titus, Roman Forum (81-82 CE)](https://www.judaism-and-rome.org/arch-titus-roman-forum-81-82-cearchitecture)
- [Yeshiva University Center for Israel Studies: Arch of Titus](https://www.yu.edu/cis/activities/arch-of-titus)
- [Urbem Hierusolymam delevit: The Arch of Titus in the Circus Maximus (York University)](http://hdl.handle.net/10315/38137)

## Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Arch of Titus." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-690, last updated Jan 7, 2026. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/arch-of-titus/