In this fantasy, these ancient Jews have come to life. ![]() Now Gaster, like many Jews and Christians to this day, errantly identified those wreathed Roman soldiers of the Arch of Titus as Jewish prisoners carrying the holy appurtenances of the Jerusalem Temple into their shared exile. ![]() The Chief Rabbi of London Sephardic community and a majo,r major early Zionist leader, a fellow named Moses Gaster, in a community kind of magazine published in 1900. Now this is a piece of a story by a rather important scholar, uniquely a scholar of Romanian folklore, Jewish folklore, Samaritan folklore. And to have caught a ray of that flaming eye ere it was covered and it again became extinct. And yet, do I believe to have seen their limbs move, ere they hardened again, into stone. So I turned again, said this author, to the figures on the stone, the shadows of the night had been gathering meanwhile, and had enveloped everything with their gloom. And we're going to begin with the rather strange quote, which I will read now. On the other side, the most famous of all of the panels, showing a triumphal arch in its upper section, images of victory, above two quadriga, four house chariots, one probably representing Titus and the other representing Vespasian. Now we know that in such events there was often a slave who held a wreath over the emperor's head as he wound his way through the cities of Rome in celebration of his great victory and his great honor. To his right, the general Titus, son of Vespasian, riding on a chariot pulled by four horses with the goddess of victory crowning him over his head. One who would come through the arch toward the forum from the Colosseum, that other great monument built to the Jewish revolt, would pass toward the arch, look at the inscription above, he would see the image of the Jordan River being brought into the city, becoming part of the Roman empire. Its Latin inscription says that this is dedicated to Titus, the son of Vespasian. Now, the arch then hovers over the city of Rome and makes a very clear statement. But particularly really after 70, because after 70 it was a matter of skirmishes in places like Masada, which are well known. The arch is just up the hill from a temple of peace built by Vespasian, where he put all of the great art of the world to signify the renewed Roman peace that he had created in the wake of the Jewish Revolt of 66 to 74. The arch of Titus is located on the Via Sacra, the sacred path of Rome on top of a rise overlooking the great form, the center of the universe, the center of the empire. You will learn how color was used in Roman antiquity and apply that knowledge to complete your own 'color restoration' of the Arch of Titus menorah relief. Students will participate in the latest advancement in the study of the Arch - the restoration of its original colors. You will attend an academic colloquium and even "participate" in office hours. Course members will accompany Professor Fine on virtual "fieldtrips" to museums and historical sites in Los Angeles and New York where you will "meet" curators, scholars and artists. ![]() ![]() Together with your guide, Professor Steven Fine, you will examine ancient texts and artifacts, gaining skills as a historian as you explore the continuing significance of the Arch of Titus from antiquity to the very present. The Arch of Titus commemorates the destruction of Jerusalem by the emperor Titus in 70 CE, an event of pivotal importance for the history of the Roman Empire, of Judaism, of Christianity and of modern nationalism. The Arch of Titus: Rome and the Menorah explores one of the most significant Roman monuments to survive from antiquity, from the perspectives of Roman, Jewish and later Christian history and art.
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