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Despite its crucial importance, it is difficult to grasp the full importance of the site. Too many buildings have been destroyed. The best surviving monuments are the two triumphal arches at either end, to the Emperors Titus (with depictions of the booty he brought back to Rome after sacking Jerusalem) and Septimius Severus, and the awe-inspiring remains of the Basilica of Maxentius, whose vast coffered vault inspired the Renaissance architects Bramante and Michelangelo.