Titus 69-81 AD. Silver Denarius. Roman Imperial. 3.13 gr. Rare Type

Description: Titus Caesar Vespasianus(/tats/TY-ts; 30 December 39 13 September 81 AD) wasRoman emperorfrom 79 to 81. A member of theFlavian dynasty, Titus succeeded his fatherVespasianupon his death.Before becoming emperor, Titus gained renown as a military commander, serving under his father inJudeaduring theFirst JewishRoman War. The campaign came to a brief halt with the death of emperorNeroin 68, launching Vespasian's bid for the imperial power during theYear of the Four Emperors. When Vespasian was declared Emperor on 1 July 69, Titus was left in charge of ending the Jewish rebellion. In 70, hebesieged and captured Jerusalem, and destroyed the city and theSecond Temple. For this achievement Titus was awarded atriumph; theArch of Tituscommemorates his victory to this day. During his father's rule, Titus gained notoriety in Rome serving asprefectof thePraetorian Guard, and for carrying on a controversial relationship with the Jewish queenBerenice. Despite concerns over his character, Titus ruled to great acclaim following the death of Vespasian in 79, and was considered a good emperor bySuetoniusand other contemporary historians. As emperor, Titus is best known for completing theColosseumand for his generosity in relieving the suffering caused by two disasters, theeruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79and a fire in Rome in 80. After barely two years in office, Titus died of a fever on 13 September 81. He wasdeifiedby theRoman Senateand succeeded by his younger brotherDomitian. Titus was born inRome, probably on 30 December 39 AD, as the eldest son ofTitus Flavius Vespasianus, commonly known as Vespasian, andDomitilla the Elder.[2]He had one younger sister,Domitilla the Younger(born 45), and one younger brother,Titus Flavius Domitianus(born 51), commonly referred to as Domitian. Family background Decades of civil war during the 1st century BC had contributed greatly to the demise of the old aristocracy of Rome, which was gradually replaced in prominence by a new Italian nobility during the early 1st century. One such family was thegensFlavia, which rose from relative obscurity to prominence in only four generations, acquiring wealth and status under the Emperors of theJulio-Claudian dynasty. Titus's great-grandfather,Titus Flavius Petro, had served as acenturionunderPompeyduringCaesar's Civil War. His military career ended in disgrace when he fled the battlefield at theBattle of Pharsalusin 48 BC. Nevertheless, Petro managed to improve his status by marrying the extremely-wealthy Tertulla, whose fortune guaranteed the upwards mobility of Petro's sonTitus Flavius Sabinus I, Titus's grandfather. Sabinus himself amassed further wealth and possibleequestrianstatus through his services astax collectorin Asia and banker inHelvetia. By marryingVespasia Polla, he allied himself to the more prestigiouspatriciangens Vespasia, ensuring the elevation of his sonsTitus Flavius Sabinus IIandVespasianto thesenatorialrank. Thepolitical careerof Vespasian included the offices ofquaestor,aedileandpraetorand culminated with aconsulshipin 51, the year Domitian was born. As a military commander, he gained early renown by participating in theRoman invasion of Britainin 43. What little is known of Titus's early life has been handed down bySuetonius, who recorded that he was brought up at the imperial court in the company ofBritannicus, the son of EmperorClaudius, who would be murdered byNeroin 55. The story was even told that Titus was reclining next to Britannicus on the night he was murdered and sipped of the poison that was handed to him. Further details on his education are scarce, but it seems he showed early promise in themilitary artsand was a skilled poet and orator both inGreekandLatin. From around 57 to 59 he was a militarytribuneinGermania. He also served inBritanniaand perhaps arrived about 60 with reinforcements needed after the revolt ofBoudica. About 63, he returned to Rome and marriedArrecina Tertulla, daughter ofMarcus Arrecinus Clemens, a formerPrefect of the Praetorian Guard. She died about 65.[9] Titus then took a new wife of a much more distinguished family,Marcia Furnilla. However, Marcia's family was closely linked to the opposition toNero. Her uncleBarea Soranusand his daughterServiliawere among those who perished after the failedPisonian conspiracyof 65.[10]Some modern historians theorise that Titus divorced his wife because of her family's connection to the conspiracy.[11][12] Titus never remarried and appears to have had multiple daughters,[13]at least one of them by Marcia Furnilla.[14]The only one known to have survived to adulthood wasJulia Flavia, perhaps Titus's child by Arrecina, whose mother was also named Julia.[15]During this period Titus also practiced law and attained the rank ofquaestor.[14] Judaean campaigns In 66, theJewsof theJudaea Provincerevolted against the Roman Empire.Cestius Gallus, thelegate of Syria, was defeated atthe battle ofBeth-Horonand forced to retreat fromJerusalem. The pro-Roman KingAgrippa IIand his sisterBerenicefled the city toGalilee, where they later gave themselves up to the Romans. Nero appointed Vespasian to put down the rebellion, who was dispatched to the region at once with theFifth LegionandTenth Legion. He was later joined atPtolemaisby Titus with theFifteenth Legion. With a strength of 60,000 professional soldiers, the Romans prepared to sweep across Galilee and march on Jerusalem. The history of the war was covered in detail by the Roman-Jewish historianJosephusin his workThe War of the Jews. Josephus served as a commander in the city ofYodfatwhen the Roman army invaded Galilee in 67. After an exhausting siege which lasted 47 days, the city fell, with an estimated 40,000 killed. Titus, however, was not simply set on ending the war. Surviving one of several group suicides, Josephus surrendered to Vespasian and became a prisoner. He later wrote that he had provided the Romans with intelligence on the ongoing revolt. By 68, the entire coast and the north of Judaea were subjugated by the Roman Army, with decisive victories won atTaricheaeandGamala, where Titus distinguished himself as a skilled general. Year of the Four Emperors The last and most significant fortified city held by theJewish resistancewas Jerusalem. The campaign came to a sudden halt when news arrived of Nero's death. Almost simultaneously, theRoman Senatehad declaredGalba, the governor ofHispania, as emperor. Vespasian decided to await further orders and sent Titus to greet the newprinceps. Before reaching Italy, Titus learnt that Galba had been murdered and replaced byOtho, the governor ofLusitania, and thatVitelliusand his armies inGermaniawere preparing to march on the capital, intent on overthrowing Otho. Not wanting to risk being taken hostage by one side or the other, he abandoned the journey to Rome and rejoined his father in Judaea.Meanwhile, Otho was defeated in theFirst Battle of Bedriacumand committed suicide.[25] When the news reached the armies in Judaea andgyptus, they took matters into their own hands and declared Vespasian emperor on 1 July 69. Vespasian accepted and, after negotiations by Titus, joined forces withGaius Licinius Mucianus, governor of Syria.A strong force drawn from the Judaean and Syrian legions marched on Rome under the command of Mucianus, and Vespasian travelled toAlexandria, leaving Titus in charge to end the Jewish rebellion. By the end of 69, the forces of Vitellius had been beaten, and Vespasian was officially declared emperor by the Senate on 21 December, thus ending theYear of the Four Emperors. Siege of Jerusalem Meanwhile, the Jews had become embroiled in a civil war of their own by splitting the resistance in Jerusalem among several factions. TheSicarii, led byMenahem ben Judah, could hold on for long; theZealots, led byEleazar ben Simon, eventually fell under the command of the Galilean leaderJohn of Gush Halav; and the other northern rebel commander,Simon Bar Giora, managed to gain leadership over theIdumeans.Titusbesieged Jerusalem. The Roman Army was joined by theTwelfth Legion, which had been previously defeated underCestius Gallus, and from Alexandria, Vespasian sentTiberius Julius Alexander, governor of Egypt, to act as Titus' second in command. Titus surrounded the city with three legions (Vth, XIIth and XVth) on the western side and one (Xth) on theMount of Olivesto the east. He put pressure on the food and water supplies of the inhabitants by allowing pilgrims to enter the city to celebratePassoverand then refusing them egress. Jewish raids continuously harassed the Roman Army, one of which nearly resulted in Titus being captured. After attempts by Josephus to negotiate a surrender had failed, the Romans resumed hostilities and quickly breached the first and second walls of the city.To intimidate the resistance, Titus ordered deserters from the Jewish side to becrucifiedaround the city wall.By that time the Jews had been exhausted by famine, and when the weak third wall was breached, bitter street fighting ensued. The Romans finally captured theAntonia Fortressand began a frontal assault on the gates of theSecond Temple. As they breached the gate, the Romans set the upper and lower city aflame, culminating with the destruction of the Temple. When the fires subsided, Titus gave the order to destroy the remainder of the city, allegedly intending that no one would remember the name Jerusalem.The Temple was demolished, Titus's soldiers proclaimed himimperatorin honour of the victory. Jerusalem was sackedand much of the population killed or dispersed. Josephus claims that 1,100,000 people were killed during the siege, most of whom were Jewish.Josephus's death toll assumptions are rejected as impossible by modern scholarship since about a million people then lived in the Land of Israel, half of them Jewish, and sizable Jewish populations remained in the area after the war was over, even in the hard-hit region of Judea.However, 97,000 were captured and enslaved, including Simon Bar-Giora and John ofGischala. Many fled to areas around theMediterranean Sea. Titus reportedly refused to accept awreath of victory, as he claimed that he had not won the victory on his own but had been the vehicle through which their God had manifested his wrath against his people. TheJewish diasporaduring the Temple's destruction, according toJosephus, was inParthia(Persia),Babylonia(Iraq), andArabia, and some were beyond theEuphratesand inAdiabene(Kurdistan). Heir to Vespasian Unable to sail to Italy during the winter, Titus celebrated elaborate games atCaesarea MaritimaandBerytusand then travelled toZeugmaon theEuphrates, where he was presented with a crown byVologases I of Parthia. While he was visitingAntioch, he confirmed the traditional rights of the Jews in that city. On his way toAlexandria, he stopped inMemphisto consecrate the sacred bullApis. According to Suetonius, that caused consternation since the ceremony required Titus to wear adiadem, which the Romans associated with monarchy, and the partisanship of Titus's legions had already led to fears that he might rebel against his father. Titus returned quickly to Rome in the hope, according to Suetonius, of allaying any suspicions about his conduct. Upon his arrival in Rome in 71, Titus was awarded atriumph. Accompanied by Vespasian and Domitian, Titus rode into the city, enthusiastically saluted by the Roman populace and preceded by a lavish parade containing treasures and captives from the war. Josephus describes a procession with large amounts of gold and silver carried along the route, followed by elaborate re-enactments of the war, Jewish prisoners and finally the treasures taken from the Temple of Jerusalem, including theMenorahand thePentateuch. Simon Bar Giora was executed in theForum, and the procession closed with religious sacrifices at theTemple of Jupiter. ThetriumphalArch of Titus, which stands at one entrance to the Forum, memorialises the victory of Titus. With Vespasian declared emperor, Titus and his brother Domitian received the title ofCaesarfrom the Senate. In addition to sharingtribunician powerwith his father, Titus held sevenconsulshipsduring Vespasian's reign and acted as his secretary, appearing in the Senate on his behalf. More crucially, he was appointedPraetorian prefect(commander of thePraetorian Guard), ensuring its loyalty to the emperor and further solidifying Vespasian's position as a legitimate ruler. In that capacity, Titus achieved considerable notoriety in Rome for his violent actions, frequently ordering the execution of suspected traitors on the spot. When in 79, a plot byAulus Caecina AlienusandEprius Marcellusto overthrow Vespasian was uncovered, Titus invited Alienus to dinner and ordered him to be stabbed before he had even left the room. During the Jewish Wars, Titus had begun a love affair withBerenice, the sister ofAgrippa II.TheHerodianshad collaborated with the Romans during the rebellion, and Berenice herself had supported Vespasian in his campaign to become emperor. In 75, she returned to Titus and openly lived with him in the palace as his promised wife. The Romans were wary of the eastern queen and disapproved of their relationship.When the pair was publicly denounced byCynicsin the theatre, Titus caved in to the pressure and sent her away,but his reputation suffered further regardless. Emperor Succession Vespasian died of an infection on 23 or 24June 79 AD, and was immediately succeeded by his son Titus. He was the first Roman emperor to come to the throne after his own biological father. As Pharaoh of Egypt, Titus adopted the titularyAutokrator Titos Kaisaros Hununefer Benermerut(Emperor Titus Caesar, the perfect and popular youth). Because of his many (alleged) vices, many Romans feared that he would be another Nero.Against those expectations, however, Titus proved to be an effective emperor and was well loved by the population, who praised him highly when they found that he possessed the greatest virtues, instead of vices. One of his first acts as emperor was to order a halt to trials based on treason charges, which had long plagued theprincipate. The law oftreason, orlaw of majestas, was originally intended to prosecute those who had corruptly "impaired the people and majesty of Rome" by any revolutionary action.UnderAugustus, however, that custom had been revived and applied to coverslanderandlibelas well. This led to numerous trials and executions underTiberius,Caligula, and Nero, and the formation of networks of informers (delators), which terrorised Rome's political system for decades. Titus put an end to that practice against himself or anyone else and declared: It is impossible for me to be insulted or abused in any way. For I do naught that deserves censure, and I care not for what is reported falsely. As for the emperors who are dead and gone, they will avenge themselves in case anyone does them a wrong, if in very truth they are demigods and possess any power. Consequently, nosenatorswere put to death during his reign; he thus kept to his promise that he would assume the office ofPontifex Maximus"for the purpose of keeping his hands unstained".Informants were publicly punished and banished from the city. Titus further prevented abuses by making it unlawful for a person to betried under different laws for the same offense.Finally, when Berenice returned to Rome, he sent her away.[59] As emperor, he became known for his generosity, andSuetoniusstates that upon realising he had brought no benefit to anyone during a whole day he remarked, "Friends, I have lost a day". Challenges Although Titus's brief reign was marked by a relative absence of major military or political conflicts, he faced a number of major disasters. A few months after his accession,Mount Vesuvius erupted. The eruption almost completely destroyed the cities and resort communities around theBay of Naples. The cities ofPompeiiandHerculaneumwere buried under metres of stone andlava, killing thousands. Titus appointed two ex-consuls to organise and coordinate the relief effort and personally donated large amounts of money from the imperial treasury to aid the victims of the volcano. Additionally, he visited Pompeii once after the eruption and again the following year. During the second visit, in spring of 80, a fire broke out in Rome and burned large parts of the city for three days and three nights. Although the extent of the damage was not as disastrous as during theGreat Fireof 64 and crucially spared the many districts ofinsulae,Cassius Diorecords a long list of important public buildings that were destroyed, including Agrippa'sPantheon, theTemple of Jupiter, theDiribitorium, parts of theTheatre of Pompey, and theSaepta Juliaamong others. Once again, Titus personally compensated for the damaged regions.According to Suetonius, a plague also broke out during the fire. The nature of the disease, however, and the death toll are unknown. Meanwhile, war had resumed inBritannia, whereGnaeus Julius Agricolapushed further intoCaledoniaand managed to establish several forts there. As a result of his actions, Titus received the title ofimperatorfor the fifteenth time, between 9 September and 31 December 79 AD. His reign also saw the rebellion led byTerentius Maximus, one of several false Neros who appeared throughout the 70s. Although Nero was primarily known as a universally-hated tyrant, there is evidence that for much of his reign, he remained highly popular in the eastern provinces. Reports that Nero had survived his overthrow were fuelled by the confusing circumstances of his death and several prophecies foretelling his return. According to Cassius Dio, Terentius Maximus resembled Nero in voice and appearance and, like him, sang to thelyre. Terentius established a following inAsia Minorbut was soon forced to flee beyond theEuphratesand took refuge with theParthians.In addition, sources state that Titus discovered that his brother Domitian was plotting against him but refused to have him killed or banished. Public works Construction of the Flavian Amphitheatre, now better known as theColosseum, was begun in 70 underVespasianand was finally completed in 80 under Titus. In addition to providing spectacular entertainments to the Roman populace, the building was also conceived as a gigantic triumphal monument to commemorate the military achievements of the Flavians during theJewish Wars. Theinaugural gameslasted for a hundred days and were said to be extremely elaborate, includinggladiatorial combat, fights between wild animals (elephantsandcranes),mock naval battlesfor which the theatre was flooded, horse races and chariot races. During the games, wooden balls were dropped into the audience, inscribed with various prizes (clothing, gold or evenslaves), which could then be traded for the designated item. Adjacent to the amphitheatre, within the precinct of Nero'sGolden House, Titus had also ordered the construction of a new publicbath house, theBaths of Titus. Construction of the building was hastily finished to coincide with the completion of the Flavian Amphitheatre. Practice of theimperial cultwas revived by Titus, but apparently, it met with some difficulty since Vespasian was not deified until six months after his death. To honour and glorify theFlavian dynastyfurther, foundations were laid for what would later become theTemple of Vespasian and Titus, which was finished by Domitian. Death At the closing of the games, Titus officially dedicated the amphitheatre and the baths in what was his final recorded act as Emperor. He set out for theSabineterritories but fell ill at the first posting station where he died of a fever, reportedly in the same farmhouse as his father. Allegedly, the last words he uttered before passing away were "I have made but one mistake". Titus had ruled theRoman Empirefor just over two years: from the death of his father in 79 to his own on 13 September 81. He was succeeded byDomitian, whose first act as emperor was todeifyhis brother. Historians have speculated on the exact nature of his death and to which mistake Titus alluded in his final words.Philostratuswrote that he was poisoned by Domitian with a sea hare (Aplysia depilans) and that his death had been foretold to him byApollonius of Tyana. Suetonius and Cassius Dio maintain that he died of natural causes, but both accuse Domitian of having left the ailing Titus for dead. Consequently, Dio believed the mistake to refer to not having Titus's brother executed when he was found to be openly plotting against him. TheBabylonian Talmud(Gittin56b) attributes Titus's death to an insect that flew into his nose and picked at his brain for seven years in a repetition of another legend referring to the biblical KingNimrod.[83][84][85]According to Rabbinic literature, Titus was a descendant ofEsauand dared to challenge the Lord. Jewish tradition says that Titus was plagued by God for destroying the second Temple Mount and died as a result of agnatgoing up his nose, causing a large growth inside of his brain that killed him. A story is recorded in whichOnkelos, a nephew of the Roman emperor Titus who destroyed the Second Temple, intent on converting to Judaism, summons up spirits to help make up his mind. Each describes his punishment in the afterlife."Onkelos son of Kolonikos ... went and raised Titus from the dead by magical arts, and asked him; 'Who is most in repute in the [other] world? He replied: Israel. What then, he said, about joining them? He said: Their observances are burdensome and you will not be able to carry them out. Go and attack them in that world and you will be at the top as it is written, Her adversaries are become the head etc.; whoever harasses Israel becomes head. He asked him: What is your punishment [in the other world]? He replied: What I decreed for myself. Every day my ashes are collected and sentence is passed on me and I am burnt and my ashes are scattered over the seven seas

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