Outside Rome, the ascension of Vespasian was greeted with neither cheers nor riots, but rather a wary fatigue. Another Caesar? Ho-hum! How long would this one last? Likewise, the near-sack of Rome was viewed as an inevitable end to the events of the last year.
But the destruction of the Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus shook the Roman world from end to end. A grave portent, it was the ultimate symbol of disorder. To Romans, it mirrored the upheavals of the year. The contracts with Jupiter Best and Greatest were broken, voiding ancient legal agreements between god and man.
Such breaks could be repaired, but that would require concessions and sacrifices. Romans took their gods seriously, yet practically. There was nothing the law could not repair. But what would the gods demand in return?
