Claudius as a Deity

A bronze statue of the Roman Emperor Claudius (r. A.D. 41–54) standing. He has a spear in his right hand and may have held a "thunderbolt" (as Augustus above) in his left hand. He probably is being portrayed as a deity (Jupiter) or possibly as a hero.

This statue 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.