titus

The Temple Of Jerusalem: The extraordinary history of a site sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims

Publication subtitle:

The extraordinary history of a site sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims

Month of publication:

January

Day of publication:

Number of Pages:

208 pages

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Roman Mysteries

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Vespasian - Roman Emperor of Toilets, and Humour

Submitted by Bija Knowles on Thu, 07/09/2009 - 10:15

A Little-known Fact

A little-known fact about the emperor Titus Flavius Vespasianus is that he shares his name with a common word for public latrines in Italian. Not only were the antique communal latrines, such as those at Ostia Antica – see photo – referred to as 'vespasiani', but modern-day urinals in Italy, including the portable plastic versions often seen outside stadiums, also go by that name.

About The Author

Bija Knowles

Last three pieces by this author:

Pompeii's 2,000 Year-old Cafe Opens to the Public | 5 Interesting Facts to Impress Your Fellow St Patrick's Day Drinkers | New Exhibition: How Greek Culture in the Age of Conquest Changed Roman Art

Bija Knowles is a freelance journalist based outside Rome, Italy. She graduated in Italian and English Literature from the University of Birmingham, UK, and her main areas of interest are art, travel and history in Italy.

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Domitian

Titus Flavius Domitian was a Roman Emperor who reigned from 81-96 AD. He was the last emperor of the Flavian Dynasty and the son of former emperor Vespasian (69-79). He inherited the throne form his brother Titus, who ruled the Roman Empire from 79-81 AD.

Domitian was known primarily for his attempt to strengthen the economy by revaluing Roman coinage. He also expanded the border control of the Empire and sought to rebuild Rome. Domitian saw himself in the great tradition of Augustus, and he hoped to help inaugurate the empire into a new aged of enlightened Flavian renaissance. Though he was popular with the people, he was reviled by the Senate.

Domitian was assassinated by court officials in 96 AD, and though his friend and former advisor Nerva inherited the throne, Domitian's reputation was destroyed by the Senate. It was not until modern times that Domitian was seen as an effective and fair, if not ruthless ruler as opposed to a crazed tyrant.

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Qumran

Attribution:

*Checco*

Key Dates

Constructed during or prior to the reign of John Hyrcanus (134 BC to 104 BC) and occupied until the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Key People

The Essenes - a Jewish religious group dedicated to asceticism and abstinence, whom many believe to be the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Best known as the settlement nearest to the cave where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947, many historians believe that the site was home to a Jewish sect - the Essenes are most commonly cited as likely inhabitants. Indeed, some scholars have argued that the caves where the nearly 900 scrolls were found were the permanent libraries of the sect.

More recently, however, the Qumran site has been reinterpreted by some archaeologists, who have suggested that the buildings may actually have been a Hasmonean fortress, the country villa for a wealthy family or even a pottery workshop. Others have proposed a mid-course, with the site serving a variety of functions during its history including paying host to the Essene sect.

A team from UCLA has created a virtual reconstruction of Qumran in order to test out the various ideas.

To read an exclusive interview with Qumran excavator Yuval Peleg click here.

Images

Put your Flickr photos of this object into the Heritage Key group, and tag them with heritagesite-1670, to see them here!

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Arch of Titus

Attribution:

j.labrado

Key Dates

Constructed towards the end of the first century AD, the Arch of Titus was built to commemorate the sack of Jerusalem in 70 AD.

Key People

Emperor Domitian commissioned the arch after the death of his brother Titus, who ruled from 79-81 AD.

The model for many of the triumphal arches built since the Renaissance, the Arch of Titus is made of Pentelic marble and has a single arch. It stands at 15.m high and 13.5m wide and straddles the Via Sacra to the south-east of the forum. The panels on the arch display scenes commemorating the victory of Titus and his father Vespasian over the jews. It is the only monument in Rome to show artifacts from the temple in Jerusalem.

The arch was turned into a fortified tower by the Frangipani family in the 14th century.

Images

Put your Flickr photos of this object into the Heritage Key group, and tag them with heritagesite-1150, to see them here!

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Colosseum

Attribution:

Jordi C

Key Dates

Construction started between 70 and 72 AD and was completed in 80 AD, with further modifications made circa 81-96. In 217, the Colosseum was badly damaged by a major fire and not fully repaired until about 240. The arena was used for contests into the 6th century, with gladiatorial fights last mentioned around 435 and animal fights last mentioned about 523. An earthquake in 1349 caused the collapse of parts of the outer facade, and it wasn't repaired until works in 1831, 1846 and the 1930s. Excavation of the Colosseum's substructure was carried out from 1810–1814 and in 1874 before finally being fully exposed during the rule of Mussolini in the 1930s.

Key People

Construction was begun under the emperor Vespasian and completed under Titus.

The Romans built many arenas throughout their empire, but none as large (it could seat 50,000 people - more than many modern stadiums) or as awe-inspiring and famous as the Colosseum - also known as the Roman Coliseum and originally called the Flavian Amphitheatre. At its peak it staged legendary gladiatorial fights, macabre executions and spectacular public games. As the centuries wore on and it fell out of use as a centre of mass entertainment, its uses became much less prestigious - it functioned as a workshop for a period, then later as a Christian shrine and at stages even as a defensive fortress.
It stands partially ruined today, hobbled by earthquakes and stone robbers. But it remains an iconic symbol of ancient Rome, and one of the most popular and recognisable tourist attractions in Italy and the world.

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