Bronze head from an over life-sized statue of Augustus (Meroe Head)
Roman, probably made in Egypt about 27-25 BC, found at Meroe, Sudan
 

Statues and coins were an important part of imperial propaganda, so the head has glass and stone eyes to make it look more realistic and powerful. It seems to have been made for insertion into a statue or bust of a different material, probably stone. The head was taken during a raid on Aswan in the Roman province of Egypt by the army of the
Kingdom of Kush, a powerful state to the south of Egypt, in present day Sudan. It was then ritually buried in front of a temple in the Kushite capital at Meroe.

This was intended as a sign of triumph over the Roman empire and a sign of huge disrespect to its emperor, but by a twist of fate the burial of the head ultimately preserved it.