Relief of the Apotheosis of Titus - Roma, Italy
Posted by: denben
N 41° 53.441 E 012° 29.320
33T E 291654 N 4640688
The relief of the apotheosis of Titus is carved in the center of the vault of the Arch of Titus located on Via Sacra in Rome, just southeast of the Roman Forum.
Waymark Code: WM10XHJ
Location: Lazio, Italy
Date Posted: 07/06/2019
Views: 7
The Arch of Titus, a 1st-century AD honorific arch, was constructed in c. AD 82 by the Emperor Domitian shortly after the death of his older brother Titus to commemorate Titus's victories, including the Siege of Jerusalem (AD 70).
The interior archway of the Arch for Titus features a series of intricately sculpted panels, called coffers. The largest of these, at the apex, contains a relief of Titus on the back of an eagle. This depiction of the emperor and the eagle likely refers to the apotheosis of Titus after his death.
Apotheosis, the transformation from mortal to divine, was the ultimate goal for many Roman emperors, and required the recognition of the Senate. As Naomi Norman has argued, an emperor’s triumph, also awarded by the Senate, was seen as the first step to earning apotheosis. Norman argues further that this relief is most legible when the viewer is walking away from the forum, as one would during an imperial funeral. In this way, the sculptural program connects the ideas of military victory, triumph, and divinity.
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