\b0 A descendant of the Flavius family, he was born in
the vicinity of Rieti in Sabina in the year 9. He held high offices under Caligula and Claudius. Nero's general in Judea charged with subjugating the kingdom, he was acclaimed emperor by the armies of the East and defeated Vitellius. He ruled with wisdo
m and moderation, built and restored many temples, and commenced the construction of the Flavian amphitheater in Rome, later called the Coliseum. He had three children by Flavia Domitilla: the future emperors Titus and Domitian, and Domitilla. He died at
Cutilia, near Rieti, at the age of eighty-eight. His son Titus had him deified and temples were built in his honor.\par