Hercule Gaulois at The Louvre, Paris

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Hercules is the Roman name given to the Greek divine hero Heracles, who was the son of Zeus (Roman equivalent Jupiter) and mortal Alcmene. In classical mythology, Hercules is renowned for his incredible strength and numerous far-reaching adventures. The Romans adapted the Greek hero's iconography and myths for their literature and art under the name Hercules. In later Western art and literature and in popular culture, Hercules is more commonly used than Heracles as the name of the hero. Hercules was a complex figure with contradictory characteristics, which enabled later artists and writers to choose how to represent him. This sculpture, Heracles Gaulois created in 166, was carved from Carrara marble by Pierre Puget. It depicts Hercules reclined, holding the golden apples from the garden of Hesperides after his eleventh trial. After completing his first ten Labors, Eurystheus gave Hercules two more, claiming that neither the Hydra counted (because Iolaus helped Hercules) nor the Augean stables (either because he received payment for the job or because the rivers did the work). The first of these two additional Labors was to steal the apples from the garden of the Hesperides. Hercules first caught the Old Man of the Sea, the shape-shifting sea god, to learn where the Garden of the Hesperides was located. He sits cloaked in the skin of the Nemean lion that he killed in his first trial. This object is part of "Scan The World". Scan the World is a non-profit initiative introduced by MyMiniFactory, through which we are creating a digital archive of fully 3D printable sculptures, artworks and landmarks from across the globe for the public to access for free. Scan the World is an open source community effort, if you have interesting items around you and would like to contribute, email stw@myminifactory.com to find out how you can help.