These two cameos—made of semiprecious stone—are carved with portraits of the Emperor Augustus, who ruled Rome from 27 B.C. to 14 A.D.

Look at the cameo that depicts the Emperor crowned with a laurel wreath—a symbol of victory. Notice how he proudly turns his head toward the tip of his spear. Over his left shoulder, he wears an aegis, an extraordinary cape made of snake-like skin, and one that is usually associated with the Greek gods, Zeus and Athena. Look for the head of Medusa, on the right, and the head of a wind god, on the left, both emblazoned on the Emperor’s cape.

Augustus carefully cultivated his image as the divine ruler of the Roman Empire. Hundreds of statues, reliefs, coins, inscriptions, and cameos, like this one, overtly portray him with the attributes of a demigod.

On the other cameo, you’ll notice that the portrait of Augustus is supported by a double-headed Capricorn, a goat with two heads and a fish tail. Suetonius, a second-century Roman biographer, describes how the Emperor adopted this constellation as his own sign of good fortune. It frequently appears on the coins of Augustus.

Augustus promoted himself as the sole ruler and benefactor of the entire Roman world. His image of the Roman Emperor as a divinity, and of the Roman Empire as unending, was the legacy that he handed on to his successors, the Julio-Claudian dynasty.