Bronze Head of Augustus

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. This object is part of Scan The World. Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source, community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email [e-mail] to find out how you can help.公元前31年，奥古斯都（Augustus）于亚克兴海战击败马克·安东尼与克利奥帕特拉，随后占领埃及并将其纳为罗马行省。历史学家斯特拉波（Strabo）曾记载，在尼罗河第一瀑布附近阿斯旺地区的埃及城镇中，曾竖立有奥古斯都的雕像；公元前25年，一支入侵的库施军队劫掠了其中多座雕像。尽管罗马反攻部队夺回了不少雕像，但并未抵达麦罗埃（Meroë）——这件头像便被掩埋在当地一座献给胜利女神的本土神庙的台阶之下。据推测，这颗头像从原雕像上被切割下来后，被刻意放置于此，使其永远置于麦罗埃征服者的脚下。 这件奥古斯都头像尺寸大于真人，其完美比例契合古典希腊对理想人体形态的认知。内嵌的玻璃与石材眼眸强化了他沉静悠远的眼神，赋予其沉稳笃定的力量感。 钱币与雕像乃是传播罗马帝王形象的核心媒介。与罗马帝国境内众多同类雕像一样，这件作品旨在持续彰显罗马及其帝王无所不包的统治权柄。 本展品属于“扫描全球（Scan The World）”项目。“扫描全球”是MyMiniFactory推出的非营利性倡议，旨在打造覆盖全球各地可3D打印的雕塑、艺术品与地标建筑的数字档案库，供公众免费获取。该项目为开源社区协作项目，若您身边有特色藏品并希望参与贡献，可发送邮件至[e-mail]了解参与方式。