The gold bust of Emperor Septimius Severus (193-211 AD) was discovered in 1965 in Didymoteichon, the ancient Plotinopolis (Northern Greece). This extremely rare find of high-quality goldsmithing is presented here for the first time in detailed study and illustration. It is one of only two surviving larger gold busts of Roman emperors; the second, slightly smaller-than-life-sized example is the bust of Marcus Aurelius from Avenches (Switzerland). The 28 cm tall gold bust of Septimius Severus weighs just under three Roman pounds (980 g), corresponding to a weight module commonly used for such objects. Gold portraits were reserved for the emperor. As portable likenesses, they could represent the emperor during official actions such as in court, but they also served in the imperial cult and within the Roman army, where they were carried at the forefront of standards.