[Paal Gulli]

The pay of a Roman soldier was meager and part of appeal of becoming one was that after every victorious battle, a few days were set aside so the common soldiers could take plunder and slaves, but only after the higher-ups already had taken their fill of the good stuff.

Plundering the vanquished wasn't just institutionalized, it was a holy sacrament, evidence that the gods had granted them victory. When the emperor Trajan took the notion to assure his name would live forever by building an annex to the Roman forum, he funded it by invading Dacia (in modern Romania, early 2nd Century AD) specifically to plunder their gold mines, which were known to be among the richest in existence. He even erected a baas relief column in the new Trajan's Forum bragging of his exploits (still there today and very well preserved).

So there is no question but that the Imperial Romans were fond of gettin' their plunder on. The wealth of the entire empire was dependent on conquest ethos; to the winner go the spoils.

This image is from the baas relief interior of the Arch of Titus in the Roman Forum. Which obviously depicts carting off the loot from the Roman sacking of the Second Temple of Solomon (temple menorah, trumpets, and, notably, the incense shovels mentioned in the linked story). At one time the Italians had fenced off this arch, preventing tourists (or anyone else) walking through it, and in the doing symbolically celebrating the events depicted.

[jjotto]

Jewish sources note the menorah from the Mishkan had a tripod base, unlike that depicted on the Arch. The Talmud also records that there were several iterations of the menorah during the Second Temple, and there was more than one menorah on the Temple grounds in any case.

There’s even a school of thought that the Mishkan menorah had straight candlesticks at an angle rather than the curved arms on the Arch.

Plenty of questions.