Exhibition in the Temple of Augustus
The Temple of Augustus hosts an exhibition of ancient, primarily Roman, sculpture. The beginnings of the exhibition date back more than 200 years, to 1802, when, during Napoleon's Illyrian Provinces under the administration of Marshal Marmont, an exhibition of archaeological finds was opened in the temple. Throughout the 19th century, the exhibition was enriched with new finds from Pula and its surroundings, growing into a true lapidarium. The number of stone monuments grew so much that there was no longer enough space inside the temple, so they were displayed in the antechamber and on the stairs.
In 1910, the collection was protected by an iron fence around the temple, but it was closed already in 1919 due to archaeological research. In 1921, the Royal Archaeological Museum in Pula was founded. The stone monuments were gradually transferred from the temple to the new archaeological museum, located in the same building where it is today. Only some representative examples of Roman sculpture, which remain there today, were left in the temple.
On display are monuments of funerary, honorary, and cultic character, elements of architectural decoration, fountains, and furniture. Highlights include three marble statues from Pula: a supernaturally large torso of an emperor in armor from the Roman theater on Monte Zaro, the legs of an emperor in armor with a kneeling Gallic slave from the imperial cult building on the forum, and a heroically nude leg resting on armor. A wall display case contains smaller sculptures. All exhibited items belong to the Roman period, except for a Greek ceramic askos with a woman's head.
Bronze alloy figurines mostly represent deities and were intended for domestic shrines or as votive gifts to the gods. Some bronze alloy figurines are parts of utilitarian objects, such as a wrestler that was on the harness fitting of a chariot. Two marble reliefs stand out: the gilded head of the Egyptian goddess Hathor from the amphitheater in Pula and an archaizing relief of a procession with a deer, which replicates a relief scene from Octavian's Actian Memorial Building. It depicted a procession of gods led by Apollo with a cithara, and partially preserved are the figure of Artemis with a deer and behind her the figure of Leto, mother of the twins Apollo and Artemis.