The Menorah on the Arch of Titus: Siege of Jerusalem
This paper examines the multiple layers of significance surrounding the menorah as depicted on the Arch of Titus, erected in 82 AD to commemorate the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Drawing on ancient sources including Josephus, the Book of Exodus, and the Talmud, the paper explores the menorah's sacred role in Jewish religious life, debates among scholars over whether the Arch accurately depicts the Temple menorah, and the broader Roman practice of commemorating spoils of war. The paper also traces the menorah's symbolic legacy across cultures and religions, and considers the enduring mystery of its physical whereabouts after the fall of Rome.
- Introduction: Roman siege, the menorah's capture, and paper scope
- Background: The Arch of Titus: Origins, design, and panels of the Arch
- The Significance of the Menorah: Sacred Jewish meaning and scholarly debates about depiction
- Commemorating the Spoils of War: Roman propaganda tradition and imperial legacy
- The Menorah Then and Now: Artistic history, symbolism, and unknown whereabouts
- Conclusion: Multi-layered significance of the menorah symbol
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper weaves together art history, religious studies, and ancient history to build a multi-layered argument about a single iconic artifact, making it engaging and substantive.
- It incorporates primary sources (the Book of Exodus, the Talmud, Josephus) alongside modern scholarship, lending credibility and textual grounding to its claims.
- The paper acknowledges scholarly debate — such as Rabbi Herzog's dispute over the menorah's design — rather than treating the historical record as settled, which adds intellectual nuance.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective use of contextual analysis: rather than simply describing the Arch of Titus, it situates the artifact within competing perspectives — Roman imperial propaganda, Jewish religious significance, and modern scholarly debate — to reveal why a single carved image carries such lasting historical weight.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a narrative introduction to the siege of Jerusalem, then provides architectural and historical background on the Arch of Titus. It moves into an analysis of the menorah's religious meaning, followed by a section on the Roman practice of commemorating war spoils. A broader cultural and historical survey of the menorah across time precedes a short but effective conclusion that ties the artifact's symbolism to enduring questions of power and identity.
Introduction
When Titus led the Roman army into Jerusalem in 70 AD to suppress the Jewish rebels who had controlled the city for four years following the riots of 66 AD, the Roman army showed no mercy. It came to destroy the Judean Free Government that had formed and to reassert Roman primacy. The result was the destruction of the Temple, the capture of some 700 Jews — all of whom were marched back to Rome in captivity — and the seizure of the spoils of war.1 Among those spoils was the Jewish menorah of Biblical significance: the menorah said to have been created by divine instruction and to have burned miraculously.
The menorah was a sacred object for the Jews, and for that reason its possession by the Romans was seen by the latter as a sign of total subjugation of the former. It was depicted on the Arch of Titus to celebrate the Roman victory and the humiliation of the conquered Judeans. But what happened to the actual menorah following its seizure by Rome? History is largely silent on the matter, though some among today's Jews suspect it may still be in Rome.2 This paper examines the Arch of Titus and the menorah's multiple levels of significance in relation to the siege of Jerusalem.
Background: The Arch of Titus
The Arch of Titus was commissioned by the Emperor Domitian in honor of his older brother Titus, who led the siege against Jerusalem in 70 AD. Domitian was the last of the Flavian emperors and was eager to celebrate the achievements of his dynasty. Erected in 82 AD in Rome on the Via Sacra — the Sacred Way — near the Colosseum, the Arch was a symbol of a dying dynasty's final achievements for the Empire. Titus had led his triumph over the very spot where the Arch was later built. Domitian's favored architect Rabirius is most likely the one who designed the Arch of Titus, though no substantial surviving documentation confirms this. It is built in the Roman style with large stone columns and spandrels at the tops of the arch, where Nike — the goddess of Victory — can be seen.3
On the south panel inside the Arch, the spoils obtained from the Temple — burned to the ground by the Romans in Jerusalem — are depicted. The menorah is a central feature of this panel, carried on the shoulders of Roman soldiers. On the north panel, Titus is shown in his triumph.
The Arch stands 50 feet high and 44 feet wide, with an inner archway 27 feet high and 17 feet wide.4 Its style was intended to display the feats of the individual it honored: large, formidable, and designed to be seen from a great distance. Rabirius, who also contributed to the construction of the Colosseum, paid particular attention to capturing in chiseled stone the scene of Titus's Triumph — soldiers bearing off the sacred items of the Jews, the menorah in particular, with its seven branches — an image that has since become iconic. Displaying the spoils of the Siege of Jerusalem, the Arch of Titus has stood for thousands of years as a monument to the destruction of the Temple and the Roman triumph over the Jews, a victory that contributed directly to the Jewish diaspora.
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