Arch of Titus: Rome and the Menorah

Arch of Titus: Rome and the Menorah

Instructor: Steven Fine

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1 assignment

Taught in English

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There are 6 modules in this course

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. 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.

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. 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. You will attend an academic colloquium and even "participate" in office hours. Students will participate in the latest advancement in the study of the Arch - the restoration of its original colors. 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.

This module introduces the Arch of Titus and the larger themes of the course. Students will begin to view the Arch from the perspectives of Roman and Jewish history, of the victors and the vanquished, and the continuing history of this artifact. They will be sensitized to the presence of imagery related to the Arch in the larger culture, and be able to identity some of that imagery.

What's included

8 videos1 reading1 peer review

8 videosTotal 26 minutes

Steven Fine: Your Guide to the Arch4 minutesPreview module
Why Does the Arch Matter?2 minutes
Historical Context: The Jewish War and the Arch of Titus2 minutes
The Arch: Romans and Jews3 minutes
Colloquium: The Arch as a War Memorial, University of Southern California, 20155 minutes
Objects Depicted on the Arch4 minutes
Visiting The Roman Empire3 minutes
The Arch: What Romans and Jews Saw1 minute

1 readingTotal 10 minutes

Assignment 1: Field Research “The Arch of Titus is everywhere, if you know where to look!”10 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

“The Arch of Titus is everywhere, if you know where to look!”60 minutes

This module explores the Arch of Titus as an artifact. Students will learn to look closely at this and other historical monuments in order to draw out the meanings of its iconography. They will see the Arch and especially its carved relief panels through selected refracting lenses.

What's included

8 videos1 assignment

8 videosTotal 32 minutes

The Arch as a Work of Art1 minutePreview module
The Arch: Location and Light6 minutes
The Scenes on the Arch4 minutes
From Triumphal Parade to Modern Restoration1 minute
Other Roman Art: Exploring the Getty, Part 26 minutes
An Artist's View: Ruth Weisberg4 minutes
Office Hours: What is a Menorah?3 minutes
Office Hours, Students Ask Questions: How to Interpret an Artifact4 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Some Basic Facts About The Arch of Titus30 minutes

Roman and Talmudic sources on Titus's triumphal parade in 71 CE will be the focus of this module. Students will read these ancient texts critically and assess the historical value for understanding the Arch and its later reception.

What's included

4 videos1 peer review

Students will explore Jewish and Christian perspectives of the Arch and be able to explain how these perceptions affected their experience and interpretation of this artifact. Conversations with scholars and museum "visits" demonstrate a broad range of contemporary perspectives on the Arch and the continued significance of its iconography.

What's included

13 videos1 peer review

13 videosTotal 61 minutes

After the War: The Spoils4 minutesPreview module
The Temple Vessels and the Fall of Rome: Procopius4 minutes
The Arch and Medieval Christianity9 minutes
The Arch and Medieval Christianity: A Conversation with Prof. William Stenhouse2 minutes
The First Book about the Arch, 17165 minutes
Bernard and Picart's Religious Ceremonies and Customs of All the Peoples of the World (1723-1743)4 minutes
Through the Eyes of Contemporary Scholars: Professor Fine with Professor Stenhouse3 minutes
Triumphal Arches From 1500s-1800s3 minutes
Jews and the The Arch0 minutes
Office Hours, Students ask Questions: Legends of the Menorah8 minutes
The Arch at the Jewish Museum5 minutes
The Arch and the Menorah at the Metropolitan Museum of Art5 minutes
Jewish Artifacts3 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Assignment 4: Short Answer - Some Visitors to the Arch of Titus60 minutes

We will explore the ways that moderns have viewed and used the Arch, through the close reading of primary visual and literary sources. "Fieldtrips" and conversations contextualize the search for Arch imagery in our world, and demonstrate ways to recognize this iconography. Students will write a narrative of the Arch in modern times based upon primary literary sources.

What's included

9 videos1 peer review

9 videosTotal 51 minutes

The Arch of Titus in the Modern World4 minutesPreview module
The Arch: An American Perspective, with Professor William Stenhouse6 minutes
Jews Reclaim the Arch4 minutes
Jews Reclaim the Menorah4 minutes
The Menorah as National Symbol11 minutes
The Arch and Modern Nationalism2 minutes
Israelis Retake the Arch Menorah5 minutes
The Arch in Modern Israel9 minutes
The Arch and Jewish Identity1 minute

1 peer reviewTotal 60 minutes

Assignment 5: Writing a Short Essay, Modern History of the Arch of Titus Using Primary Sources.60 minutes

Recent advances in the study of the original color, polychromy, of ancient Roman art will be presented. Students will learn the reasons for this rethinking of ancient art, and apply this learning to their own restorations of the polychrome of the Arch of Titus menorah panel.

What's included

8 videos3 readings1 peer review

8 videosTotal 38 minutes

The Arch of Titus: Restoring its Color2 minutesPreview module
Coloring the Ancient World3 minutes
Discovering Color at the Arch of Titus, 20123 minutes
Colloquium: The Polychromy of the Arch, University of Southern California, 2015--Part 16 minutes
Colloquium: The Polychromy of the Arch, University of Southern California, 2015--Part 214 minutes
Revealing Color on the Menorah3 minutes
Office Hours, Students Ask Questions: Why Color Matters2 minutes
The Arch of Titus: What Was and What Will Be...1 minute

3 readingsTotal 30 minutes

True Colors: Digital Restoration Restores True Colors to the Arch of Titus! Biblical Archaeology Review, Spring, 201710 minutes
VIDEO: Colorizing the Arch of Titus: The Spoils of Jerusalem10 minutes
Colorize The Arch of Titus Menorah Panel10 minutes