Statue of Hercules in the Getty Villa, July 2008

Hercules
Roman, AD 100-200 AD
Marble and pigment

Inventory Number: 73.AA.43.1

The greatest of Greek heroes, Herakles was enthusiastically adopted by the Romans, who called him Hercules. Although this statue has been damaged over time, the hero's standard symbols– the skin of the Nemean lion and the club– identify him. Here Hercules also wears a wreath of white poplar leaves and a fillet (ribbon) with its ends trailing over his shoulders. The fillet marks him as an athletic victor, and white poplar was associated with the Olympic Games, which the hero was credited with founding in honor of his father, Zeus (king of the gods). According to tradition, Herakles imported white poplar from northwestern Greece, and it was the only wood used to fuel the altars at Olympia. Statues such as this one were extremely popular, commonly appearing in Greek and Roman gymnasiums, where athletes trained.

Text from the Getty Villa museum label.