The Siege of Jerusalem by Titus, With the Journal of a Recent Visit to the Holy City
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Titus was Roman Emperor and a member of the Flavian dynasty. Successor to his father Vespasian in 79 AD, Titus reigned for only two years during which took place the eruption of the Vesuvius which buried Pompeii and neighboring cities (79 AD) and a huge fire which destroyed many parts of Rome (80 AD).
Background
Titus was born in Rome, probably on 30 December 39 AD. He was the son of Vespasian, a rising official in the imperial service, and his wife, Domitilla. He had a younger sister, Domitilla the Younger (born 45), and one younger brother, Titus Flavius Domitianus (born 51), commonly referred to as Domitian.
Education
As a child, Titus excelled in both Greek and Latin. He was blessed with both poetic and oratory skills.
Career
Titus enjoyed a favored position in the court of the emperor Claudius I (41-54). His father, Vespasian became one of Claudius's leading generals, and Titus was a bosom companion of Britannicus, the son of Claudius. Nero, stepson of Claudius, replaced Claudius as emperor in 54 and murdered his stepbrother Britannicus. Titus's former friendship does not seem to have crippled his career. He served as a junior military officer (military tribune) in Germany and Britain and was moderately active in civic affairs at Rome.
The turning point in the career of Titus and his family came with the Jewish revolt. The major proportions of the rebellion required Nero to call upon one of his most experienced generals, Vespasian. Titus was placed in command of a legion and sent to Alexandria in Egypt to lead that legion to Judea. He distinguished himself by his courage and leadership in the early fighting, in which the Romans succeeded in bottling up the bulk of the rebels in Jerusalem.
Meanwhile, momentous events were happening in Rome and the Western provinces. Revolts broke out against Nero, who committed suicide. In 69, Galba, the governor of Spain, claimed the emperorship but was soon assassinated. The major struggle for succession developed between Vitellius, the commander of the German armies, and Otho, an old friend of Nero. Vitellius conquered, but developments in the East cut short his reign. When word of Galba's becoming emperor reached Vespasian and Titus in Jerusalem, Titus was dispatched to convey congratulations. He had reached Greece when he received the announcement of Galba's murder. Titus hesitated and then turned back. On Cyprus, an oracle of Aphrodite predicted to him that one day he would be emperor.
Vespasian and his supporters meanwhile had decided that, in a period of soldier emperors, Vespasian with his experience and strong army had a good claim to be ruler. They raised the challenge to Vitellius, and Vespasian's partisans won for him in Italy. Titus had traveled with his father to Alexandria, where they were consolidating their position in the Eastern Empire.
With the Flavian cause secure, Titus was sent back to Jerusalem to finish the conquest of the Jews. The siege of that city was one of the most difficult in Roman military history. After an arduous struggle, the city fell to Titus in September 70.
By June 71, Titus had returned to Rome, where he assumed the position of his father's main administrator and intended successor. Seven times he was consul with his father and also censor. More important, he was praetorian prefect. This position had generally been entrusted to a high official of the equestrian civil service, but Vespasian, an emperor without strong roots and assured support, obviously felt that he must have a man he could trust absolutely in charge of the imperial guard. Vespasian was very fortunate to have so talented and experienced a son who could support him while he lived and continue his dynasty after his death.
Titus did much to ensure that the Flavians became a dynasty rather than short-lived claimants to the throne. Titus did not establish a good reputation during his father's reign. Part of the unpopularity stemmed from his position as chief assistant to Vespasian, which forced him to conduct much of the unpleasant business of the empire.
Vespasian died on June 24, 79, and Titus became Emperor. People expected the excesses of a second Nero. However, Titus immediately showed that he intended to reign with moderation and tact.
The main events in his reign were disasters. In August 79, Vesuvius erupted and buried Pompeii, Herculaneum, and other sections of Campania. Titus traveled to the area to assist in relief operations. The following year, a major fire destroyed much of the Campus Martius area of Rome. Again Titus was very generous in providing funds for relief and rebuilding. A major plague also struck while he ruled. After barely two years in office, Titus died of a fever on 13 September 81. He was deified by the Roman Senate and succeeded by his younger brother Domitian.
(This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. T...)
Politics
During Titus's rule informers were controlled and political exiles recalled. Respect was shown for the Roman Senate. He also continued a policy of extensive public building to glorify the new dynasty and contrast his sense of public interest with the self-indulgence of Nero, introduced by his father. He completed the amphitheater known today as the Colosseum and erected a massive set of public baths in Rome, as well as many other public works in Rome and elsewhere in Italy. He did not reign long enough to make his own impact on Roman foreign policy. The most spectacular events were the continued conquests of the general Agricola in northern Britain.
Views
Quotations:
As Emperor he became known for his generosity, and Suetonius states that upon realising he had brought no benefit to anyone during a whole day he remarked, "Friends, I have lost a day. "
"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. "
Personality
Titus was handsome, talented, and athletically skilled. Suetonius called him “the darling of the human race.” But his style of life was regarded as too sumptuous, and his amorous relationship with Berenice, the daughter of the Jewish ruler Herod Agrippa, caused scandal among the snobbish Romans.
Connections
Titus married well. His first wife, Arrecina Tertulla, was the daughter of a former praetorian prefect. After her death he married Marcia Furnilla, also of good family. The couple produced a daughter, Julia Flavia (8 September 64 – 91).