But when the 2000-year-old bronze head of the Roman emperor Augustus was discovered in 1910 buried under a stone staircase leading to a temple of victory in northern Sudan, the imposing, larger-than-life profile became a symbol of defeat.

Now visitors to the National Museum in Canberra will be able to see the wistful eyes of a once-great world figure for themselves, as the treasure part of A History of the World in 100 Objects.

The show, which opens on Friday, began life as a hugely successful BBC radio show in Britain, before becoming a book and finally an exhibition that has toured the world to great acclaim.

It's made up of 100 objects from around the globe, and explores the last 2 million years of human history, from a stone-chopping African tool thought to be one of the first known human-made implements, to an Egyptian sarcophagus, gold coins from Croesus, a gold llama from Peru and a woven basket from Arnhem Land.

Museum director Mathew Trinca said it was rare to see many of the objects in the show outside Britain, and was particularly taken by the head of Augustus, which is exclusive to the Australian leg of the show's world tour.

"I always feel in the presence of history when I work in the National Museum, and that's a very strong experience, I suppose, of my professional life, but this is special," he said.

"It's more than just a treasures show, because of this premise, the idea that these pieces, well chosen, can amplify aspects of human history, in all these different times and places."

British Museum curator Belinda Crerar, in town for the show's grand opening, said the rationale of the exhibition had always been incredibly ambitious.

"It's a bit of a risk in a way, because you can really only have one object per major world event, which is not really enough," she said.

"But to have such ambitious scope, it creates a backbone to our knowledge of human history and the world."

Among the objects are some of the famed Lewis Chessmen, discovered unexpectedly on a beach in Scotland in 1831.

Made from walrus ivory and whale tooth between 1150 and 1200, the chessmen have seen a surge in popularity since their inclusion in the 2001 film Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

The exhibition also contains more modern items, such as an early solar-powered lamp, a David Hockney print depicting two men in bed, and a credit card compliant with Islamic Sharia law, meaning no interest can be charged on it.

One display that will have people talking is an English football jersey that has connections with almost every continent on earth – the 2010 home kit for Chelsea FC, a Russian-owned London club sponsored by the Korean company Samsung, bearing the name of Didier Drogba, an Ivory Coast footballer who grew up in France.

But it's a fake, made in Indonesia and sold in Peru – a true symbol of modern human endeavour.

A History of the World in 100 objects is showing at the National Museum of Australian in Canberra from September 9 to January 29.