The 2000-year-old fragmentary parts of Hercules body was found during excavations in the ancient Greek city

Archaeologists exploring an ancient Greek city have uncovered a large, 2,000-year-old statue depicting Hercules, a well-known figure from Greco-Roman mythology, the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports revealed last month.


Researchers with the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki discovered the statue while sifting through the remnants of the ancient city of Philippi in northern Greece. Though they found the “larger-than-life” artwork in pieces, archaeologists believe the figure—depicted with a “youthful body”—originally held a club, a wreath and a lion skin, all of which have historically been associated with Hercules, per a statement.

The team unearthed the statue while exploring the intersection of two streets, which may have been widened into a square that contained a highly decorative building and, likely, a fountain.

Archaeologists say the building dates back to the late Byzantine period of the eighth or ninth century C.E., while the statue itself likely dates to the second century C.E.

Hercules’s head was discovered first, then an arm and leg. The marble bits of his body were scattered in the ruins of a Greek building and pieced together, limb by limb, by a team of archeologist until they were certain: this was a 2,000-year-old sculpture of classical mythology’s most famous demigod.

History:

Hercules was the Roman interpretation of Heracles from Greek mythology. Born to Zeus and Alcmene, the demigod was bold, strong and courageous from the very beginning of his life. According to myth, when Hercules was still an infant, his mischievous stepmother, Hera, sent two snakes into his crib to kill him, but baby Hercules handily defeated them.

Later, after Hera sent him into a temporary fit of madness, Hercules killed his wife, Megara, and their children. To make amends for his actions, Hercules carried out a series of difficult tasks known as the 12 labors of Hercules. His final feat involved making the journey to Hades to kidnap Cerberus, the monstrous three-headed dog who guarded its gates. As Amah-Rose Abrams writes for Artnet, Hercules is often used to signify “the overcoming of one’s demons”; he’s also seen as a “champion of the weak.”

Per Encyclopedia Britannica, “In art and literature, Heracles was represented as an enormously strong man of moderate height, a huge eater and drinker, very amorous and generally kindly but with occasional outbursts of brutal rage. His characteristic weapon was the bow but frequently also the club.”

Artists have long paid homage to the demigod by creating statues and other works of art in his likeness. In June, divers exploring the 2,000-year-old Antikythera shipwreck recovered what they believd to be the missing head of a marble Hercules statue housed in Athens’ National Archaeological Museum. Late last year, archaeologists also located what appear to be the ruins of the fabled Temple of Hercules Gaditanus, a religious pilgrimage site for ancient Greeks and Romans that featured large bronze carvings depicting Hercules’ 12 labors.

Archaeologists consider Philippi, the site of the find, to be one of the most promising archaeological regions in all of Greece, notes Artnet. Thasian colonists initially settled the area around 360 B.C.E., calling it Crenides. Several years later, in a bid to take over nearby gold mines, Philip II of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great, renamed the city Philippi after himself. Philippi is located along the Via Egnatia, an important Roman road that helped link Europe with Asia but was abandoned after the Ottoman conquest of the region in the 14th century.

Researchers continue to excavate the remnants of the city, which became a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2016.

Related Posts

Surrealism Tattoo Style – New Trending Explore the Body Art Genre

You may have heard that everything is only limited by the boundaries of human imagination. Well, this holds true for surrealism tattoos that cross all the limits…

Amazing Filipino tribal tattoos supposed to bring positivity into your life

Filipino tribal tattoos meaning is based on their previous ancestors’ culture and heritage. They showcase bravery, passion, personality, and goal-oriented skills which could be intertwined with yours. The…

If your body is a picture, then tattoos are the strokes that color it. The mystery of the geometric tattoo. beautiful design

  25 ideas of the most used type of tattoo 16 February, 2016 What is the most used tattoo? Although there are still many people who use them ,…

Unveiling the Museum in New York: Unraveling the Mystery of Fossil Skeletons in a “$ensitive” Position

J New York City, USA – In a recent small-scale exhibition in New York, indigenous craftsmanship took center stage, captivating the attention of visitors with its unique…

Ex𝚙l𝚘𝚛𝚊ti𝚘n 𝚘𝚏 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚑ist𝚘𝚛ic S𝚞𝚋s𝚞𝚛𝚏𝚊c𝚎 W𝚊t𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚘l𝚍s K𝚎𝚢 t𝚘 𝚊li𝚎n Li𝚏𝚎 M𝚢st𝚎𝚛i𝚎s

W𝚊t𝚎𝚛 t𝚛𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚎𝚍 𝚋𝚎l𝚘w 𝚎𝚊𝚛t𝚑’s s𝚞𝚛𝚏𝚊c𝚎 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚋illi𝚘ns 𝚘𝚏 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛s c𝚘𝚞l𝚍 𝚑𝚘l𝚍 k𝚎𝚢s t𝚘 𝚞nl𝚘ckin𝚐 t𝚑𝚎 s𝚎c𝚛𝚎ts 𝚘𝚏 𝚎xt𝚛𝚊t𝚎𝚛𝚛𝚎st𝚛i𝚊l li𝚏𝚎. In t𝚑𝚎 𝚍𝚎𝚙t𝚑s 𝚘𝚏 𝚊n 𝚊l𝚙in𝚎 m𝚘𝚞nt𝚊in 𝚛𝚊n𝚐𝚎,…

Mystery of winged tiny ‘human skeletons’ found in ‘basement of old London house’

Skeletal winged bodies of fairies, werewolves and aliens were said to have been found in the basement of an old house in London. The macabre collection features…

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *