Exhibition in the Temple of Augustus
The Temple of Augustus houses an exhibition of ancient, primarily Roman, sculpture. The beginnings of the exhibition date back more than 200 years, to 1802; an exhibition of archaeological finds was created in the temple during the Napoleonic period Illyrian Provinces administered by Marshal Marmont. Throughout the 19th century, the exhibition was broadened with new finds from Pula and its surroundings, developing into a proper collection of stone sculpture. As the number of stone monuments expanded beyond the space available in the temple's interior, the display area was expanded to the portico and the steps leading up to it.
An iron fence was installed around the temple in 1910 to protect the collection, which was closed in 1919 for archaeological investigation. The Royal Archaeological Museum in Pula was founded in 1921. The stone monuments were gradually transferred from the temple to the new archaeological museum building, AMI's home to the present day. A number of representative examples of Roman sculpture remain at the temple building to this day.
On display are monuments of funerary, honorary, and cultic character, elements of architectural decoration, fountains, and furniture. Notable are a trio of marble statues from Pula: a supernaturally large torso of an emperor in armour from the Roman theatre on Monte Zaro, the legs of an emperor in armour with a kneeling Gallic slave from the imperial cult building at the forum, and a heroic nude leg resting on armour. A wall display case contains small sculptures. All exhibited items are from the Roman period, except for a Greek ceramic askos with the depiction of a woman's head.
Copper alloy figurines are largely representations of deities, intended for domestic shrines or as votive gifts to the gods. Some copper alloy figurines were parts of utilitarian objects, such as a wrestler that was part of chariot harness fittings. Two marble reliefs stand out: the gilded head of the Egyptian goddess Hathor from the amphitheatre in Pula and an archaised relief of a procession with a deer, which replicates a relief scene from Octavian's memorial building at Actium. It depicted a procession of gods led by Apollo with a cithara partially surviving figures represent Artemis with a deer, followed by Leto, mother of the twins Apollo and Artemis.