By Anne Leader
On this day in 14 CE, Gaius Octavius, known as Augustus, died in Rome. He was the first Roman emperor and reigned for 41 years. Though 75 at his death, his official imagery always showed him as young, with his telltale comma curls (hence the Caesar haircut), high cheekbones, and protruding ears.
Augustus Crowned (Augustus Bevilacqua), marble, ca. 14 CE, Munich, Glyptothek
Augustus of Primaporta, marble copy of bronze original cast ca. 20 BCE, Rome, Vatican Museums
Blacas Cameo, ca. 14-20 CE, London, The British Museum
Gemma Augustea, Vienna, Kunsthistorisches Museum
Augustus as Pontifex Maximus from Via Labicana, Rome, Museo Nazionale Romano, Palazzo Massimo alle Terme
Silver denarius of Augustus, 2 BCE-4CE, London, The British Museum