Head of Augustus, about 27-25 BC - a photo on Flickriver

            From Meroë, Sudan, about 27-25 BC

This head once formed part of a statue of the emperor Augustus (ruled 27 BC-AD 14).

In 31 BC he defeated Mark Antony and Cleopatra at the battle of Actium and took possession of Egypt, which became a Roman province. The writer Strabo tells us that statues of Augustus were erected in Egyptian towns near the first cataract of the Nile at Aswan and that an invading Kushite army looted many of them in 25 BC.

Although Roman counter-attackers reclaimed many of the statues, they did not reach Meroë, where this head was buried beneath the steps of a native temple dedicated to Victory. It seems likely that the head, having been cut from its statue, was placed there deliberately so as to be permanently below the feet of its Meroitic captors.

The head of Augustus appears larger than life, with perfect proportions based upon Classical Greek notions of ideal human form. His calm distant gaze, emphasised with inset eyes of glass and stone, give him an air of quiet, assured strength.

Coins and statues were the main media for propagating the image of the Roman emperor. This statue, like many others throughout the Empire, was made as a continuous reminder of the all-embracing power of Rome and its emperor.

References

P.C. Roberts, Romans, a pocket treasury (London, The British Museum Press, 1996)

S. Walker, Greek and Roman portraits (London, The British Museum Press, 1995)

S. Walker, Roman art (London, 1991)

L. Burn, The British Museum book of Greek and Roman Art, revised edition (London, The British Museum Press, 1999)

Taken in: United Kingdom / England / London / Bloomsbury (show map)

Taken on: April 23, 2012

Tags:

British Museum

emperor Augustus

Octavian « less

Sets appears in: • British Museum

Groups appears in: • Julio Claudian Art, Roman Portraiture and Coins • The Emperor Augustus

Camera: Nikon D60, f/4.5, 1/15 sec, 30mm (=45mm), ISO 800 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D60
Aperture:	f/4.5
Exposure Time:	0.067 sec (1/15)
Focal Length:	30mm (35mm equivalent: 45mm)
ISO:	800
Exposure Bias:	-1/3 EV
Flash:	No Flash
Exposure Program:	Aperture-priority AE
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Ver.1.00
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