Emperor Titus Dies: Rome Mourns Its Beloved Ruler

Emperor Titus died after just two years on the throne, having overseen Rome's response to two of the greatest disasters in ancient history and completed the most iconic building in the Roman world. Born in 39 AD, the eldest son of Emperor Vespasian, he earned his military reputation during the Jewish-Roman War, commanding the siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD that destroyed the Second Temple and scattered the Jewish population in a diaspora that would last nearly two millennia. The Arch of Titus in the Roman Forum, erected after his death, depicts soldiers carrying the Temple's menorah and sacred objects through Rome in a triumphal procession. The destruction was so thorough that the Temple has never been rebuilt, and its Western Wall remains the holiest site in Judaism. Titus inherited the throne in June 79 AD, and within months Vesuvius erupted, burying Pompeii and Herculaneum under volcanic ash and killing thousands. He organized relief efforts and donated personal funds to the survivors. The following year, a massive fire devastated Rome, followed by a plague. Titus responded to each crisis with personal attention and public generosity that earned him widespread popularity. He also completed and inaugurated the Flavian Amphitheatre, better known as the Colosseum, which his father had begun. The opening games lasted one hundred days and included gladiatorial contests, animal hunts, and mock naval battles. The Senate honored him with the rare posthumous tribute of "delight of the human race." He died on September 13, 81 AD, at forty-one, possibly poisoned by his brother Domitian, who succeeded him immediately.