The warm natural color of this ivory sandaled foot bears a resemblance to real flesh. Notice how skillfully the artist has carved the toes to look like skin stretched over jointed bones, and how naturalistically he rendered the tied leather straps. This extraordinary foot was once part of a large statuette. Probably, the hands, arms and head were also made of ivory, but the drapery was in a different material, perhaps gold or silver, or even semi-precious stone. The magnificent figure probably stood in one of the many temples erected during the reign of the Emperor Augustus, between 27 B.C. and A.D. 14.

On the tongue of the sandal is a personification of the Nile River, suggesting that this foot might have belonged to a representation of an Egyptian deity. Then again, it might have been part of a large statuette of the Roman Emperor Augustus. For nearly four hundred years, Egypt had been under the rule of the Ptolemies—the Macedonian kings who inherited the vast territories conquered by Alexander the Great. Egypt was the last of the Hellenistic kingdoms to fall to Rome, and, thus, its last great rival. By conquering Egypt, Augustus secured Rome’s supremacy throughout the Mediterranean, and brought the great wealth and natural resources of the land of the Nile to benefit the people of Rome.

If you would like to hear Philippe de Montebello read a quote from the Roman poet, Horace, about Augustus, and the far reaches of his empire, press the PLAY button now.