The Life and Times of Titus

By Lucas Fortune

Born in 39 AD, I was the “golden boy” of the golden age of Rome’s Western Empire. I first caught the eye of the commoners when I sacked Jerusalem in 70 AD. For this, I gained much fame and had my own arch built for me by my despicable brother Domitian. Loved by all and adored by many, I was elected emperor in 79 AD. Soon after taking on this role, I encountered a setback with the destruction of 3 cities with the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in this same year. However, I was determined to make amends for this tragedy, and therefore paid for the cost of the devastation with the money from my own imperial treasury. My image was only more adored when I completed several buildings projects in 80 AD, which are headlined by the Colosseum, a majestic structure I meant to depict the strength and wealth of my mighty empire. Begun by my father Vespasian in 70 AD, I completed this monument soon after my father’s died in 79 AD. To strengthen my image in the eyes of the public, I also built a series of bath complexes for public use. However, these were no old bathing areas; these were built on the site of Nero’s Domus Aurea, and I meant to build these to give the public back the land which Nero had taken from them. Although the public loved me more than ever, I built them a temple, the Temple of Titus and Vespasian in the Western end of the main Forum to commemorate the roles both my father and I played in the sacking of Jerusalem and destruction of their “beloved” temple. However, my spectacular life was cut short because of a fever in 81 AD, only two years after I had taken office. Although this fever is the most popular cause of death, the Palestinians maintain I was killed by a bug which flew into my nose and ate at my brain for seven years because I had destroyed the Jews “magnificent” temple. It was a sad end to a promising reign, which was looking to be the best the empire had ever seen, unparalleled even by the reign of the mighty Augustus.