Perhaps some of you have heard about the fabulous project at Yeshiva University pioneered by my friend Professor Steven Fine and others to restore the original colors to the famed Arch of Titus. It is finished and now can be viewed in this remarkable video. This project is as fascinating as it is chilling, remembering the terrible carnage on all sides in the Jewish Revolt of 66-73 CE and those terrible days of August in the year 70 CE.
The Arch of Titus Project
The Arch of Titus Project is a multi-faceted exploration of the Arch of Titus, a triumphal arch built in Rome to commemorate the victory of the Roman general, later emperor, Titus, in the Jewish War of 66-74 CE. One of the most significant Roman artifacts to have survived, the Arch of Titus has been of continuing significance for both Jews and Christians for nearly two millennia. The image of the seven-branched menorah that appears on the Arch is now symbol of the State of Israel.
The Center for Israel Studies’ Arch of Titus Project is mult-faceted. It includes the Digital Restoration Project, which in 2012 discovered the original yellow polychromy of the Arch menorah; numerous studies of the Arch and its menorah by Professor Fine, an upcoming exhibition and international conference on the Arch organized by Yeshiva University Museum (Summer, 2017), a free online Coursera course, The Arch of Titus: Rome and the Menorah, a 2016 summer seminar in Rome under the auspices of the Schottenstein Honors Program, and courses taught in Revel, Yeshiva College and Stern College.
See here for more and watch the video:
There is more on the project itself in this special course by Dr. Fine that you can access on-line here.
Related to this is Dr. Fine’s important new book, The Menorah: From the Bible to Modern Israel (Harvard University Press, November 2016), Dr. Steven Fine, the Dean Pinkhos Churgin Professor of Jewish History and director of the Center for Israel Studies at YU, explores the multilayered history and significance of the menorah from its earliest mentions to its current role in Judaism and the State of Israel, drawing on artifacts and literature that span 3,000 years.
Here is a video explaining the significance of this life-long research by Dr. Fine:
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