This marble head of Augustus (r. 27 BCE-14 CE), the first Roman emperor, shows the calm, ageless features of his official portrait type. It was found at Ephesus together with a portrait of his wife Livia in the Basilica Stoa on the State Agora.
A cross was later carved into the forehead, probably by Christians of late antiquity, a common way of neutralizing pagan images.
The Ephesus Archaeological Museum in nearby Selçuk houses finds from the ancient city, including sculpture from its fountains, public buildings and the Terrace Houses of its wealthiest residents.
