Augustus Enthroned

Augustus Enthroned

A marble statue of the Roman Emperor Augustus (r. 27 B.C.– A.D. 14) who is portrayed as "Enthroned."  He is semi-nude, as a deity, and is crowned with the Civic "Oak Wreath" Crown—a very special honor given to him for having "delivered/saved" his people.  See Wikipedia.

This was discovered in the "Augusteum" — also called the "Sacellum (chapel/temple) of the Augustales (priests in charge of Emperor Worship) at Herculaneum.

The statue dates to the mid-first century—Herculaneum was destroyed at the time of the eruption of the volcano Vesuvius in A.D. 79.  It is on display in the Naples Archaeological Museum (Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli), Italy.