Analysis: Vespasian's Triumph Following the Vanquishing of the Jews

Date: 71 CE

Geographic Region: Roman Empire

Author: Josephus Flavius

Summary Overview

Held in 71 CE after the Roman defeat of a Jewish rebellion against imperial rule, the triumph of the Roman emperor Vespasian and his son, Titus, marked the first such affair Rome had seen in several years. Triumphs were immense public spectacles that had been used for centuries to honor elite military leaders who succeeded in significant campaigns. A general celebrated with a triumph had attained the peak of his career, and the public welcomed the spectacle as entertainment and as an affirmation of their own Roman greatness. This likely firsthand account, by the Jewish historian Josephus Flavius, details traditional triumphal proceedings while also suggesting that the generals had conquered a truly worthy foe through its depictions of immense Jewish wealth and valor.

Defining Moment

The military triumph had a long and storied history in Rome. By the time of the early empire in the first century CE, Romans believed that the triumph had been practiced since the semi-legendary founding of their city by Romulus in 753 BCE. The triumph, awarded only to generals who had achieved a substantial and important military victory, mostly consisted of a grand public parade. The procession included displays of spoils and captives taken during the campaign and was often the last march for captured high-level military or political leaders before they were imprisoned or sold into slavery. Games, feasting, and other public displays were also often part of the event. The triumphing general, clad in purple and gold, was lavishly honored; so great was his esteem that accounts mention a slave designated to remind the honoree that he was a mortal man as he traversed the city.

The triumph described by Josephus in this account was celebrated after the Roman army, under the command of Vespasian and Titus successfully crushed a revolt staged by nationalist Jews against Roman rule in the 60s CE. The Roman general Pompey the Great had conquered the kingdom of Judea as part of a sweeping campaign some one hundred years before the rebellion, setting up Herod the Great as a Roman client king. Herod maintained order in the region and worked to restore the city of Jerusalem to greatness through public works, such as the construction of a new sacred temple. After Herod's death, however, less successful administration by his descendants and imperial Roman officials, known as procurators, led to rapidly rising tensions between the Jews and their political masters. Procurators were sent by the empire to manage financial affairs—particularly tax collection—and their methods of executing these tasks irritated those who paid dearly. Religious offenses against Judaism, including Emperor Caligula's demand that his statue be displayed in the temple, further angered many Jews.

In 66 CE, tensions boiled over into revolt. Emperor Nero sent Vespasian to oversee Roman efforts against the rebels; the general was soon joined by his son, who was commanding legions that were already nearby. Vespasian and Titus steadily overcame local resistance, with Titus continuing the campaign after Vespasian became emperor following the period of political turmoil that began with Nero's suicide. Vespasian returned to Rome as emperor in 69 CE, and Titus completed the war with a thorough sacking and destruction of Jerusalem the next year. The two military leaders, now members of the Roman Empire's ruling imperial family, shared a triumph for their victory over the Jews in 71 CE. Josephus, likely an eyewitness to the event, recorded it for his history of this tumultuous time.

Author Biography and Document Information

Jerusalem-born historian Josephus Flavius was a member of a respected Jewish family. Born Joseph ben Matthias around 37 CE, he studied religious law and served as an emissary to the Roman court charged with negotiating the freedom of a group of Jewish priests held in the capital. He was impressed with the city and developed a friendship with Emperor Nero's wife.

Despite his favorable opinion of Rome, Josephus served as a military commander in the Jewish revolt after his return to Palestine. Captured and imprisoned for several months by the Roman army, Josephus became indebted to Vespasian for ordering his release. He adopted Vespasian's family name, Flavius, as part of his own. He settled in Rome and maintained relations with Vespasian and his family until his death, possibly during the reign of Domitian. Under the patronage of Vespasian, he devoted many years to writing a history of the Jewish conflict that he had witnessed. The existing text of his History of the Jewish War dates from a Greek translation of Josephus's original Aramaic.

Document Analysis

Writing about events that he may himself have witnessed, Josephus presents a picture of the Roman triumph that both connects Vespasian and his family to a revered Roman tradition and emphasizes the power and glory of the Roman defeat of his homeland. His perspective is one that is biased toward the Romans, and his account supports the Roman conception of itself as the greatest military and political power in the world at the time.

Roman culture strongly honored tradition. Despite enduring for several centuries, the republic lacked a written constitution, relying simply on the guidance of what the Romans called the mos maiorum (“way of the elders”), or the way things were done. The early empire had sought to adhere to this notion by continuing the trappings of the republic—the first true emperor, Augustus, asserted that he was simply the first citizen among citizens. Thus, Josephus's description of Vespasian and Titus as “wearing the time-honored purple clothes,” awaiting “the traditional moment” when the death of their leading enemy was announced, and otherwise taking part in “customary” and “traditional” activities reflects the deep-seated Roman need to maintain the ways of the past even in a changing present.

Much of the account is dedicated to describing the spoils of victory, which Josephus claims are exemplars “affording a clear demonstration of the might of the Roman Empire.” By displaying both the valuable goods and high-ranking leaders of their enemies, the Romans suggested the immensity of their own power. Celebrating these achievements helped support the Roman self-conception that they were indeed the best of the best. Such displays also sought to generate citizens' support for military endeavors that otherwise provided them little personal benefit and seemed completely removed from their lives. Because long-distance communication was slow and rudimentary, the average citizen had practically no ties to distant lands and was unlikely to have a real sense of the military action occurring in these places. Showing conquered wealth to the people, therefore, enhanced nationalist pride. Triumphs also came only at the official end of campaigns. Traditionally, a military leader granted this honor gave up his authority over the troops at the end of the event. Thus, a triumph signaled a presumed period of peace and prosperity, with the Romans at least temporarily assured of their position in the world.

Bibliography and Additional Reading

Beard, Mary. The Roman Triumph. Cambridge, MA: Belknap, 2007. Print.

Hadas-Lebel, Mireille. Flavius Josephus: Eyewitness to Rome's First-Century Conquest of Judea. Trans. Richard Miller. London: Macmillan, 1993. Print.

Hayes, John H. & Sara R. Mandell. The Jewish People in Classical Antiquity: From Alexander to Bar Kochba. Louisville: Westminster, 1998. Print.

Versnel, H. S. Triumphus: An Inquiry into the Origin, Development and Meaning of the Roman Triumph. Leiden: Brill, 1970. Print.