Torso of a statue of Heracles

myminifactory

This is a preserved torso part of a marble statue honoring Heracles. Heracles was born as a divine hero in Greek mythology, Zeus' son and Alcmene's child, also known as Amphitryon's foster son. He was the great-grandson and half-brother (as both were sired by Zeus) of Perseus. He became the greatest of the Greek heroes, embodying masculinity, the ancestor of royal clans claiming Heracleidae lineage, and a champion of the Olympian order against chthonic monsters. In Rome and modern Western cultures, he is known as Hercules, with whom Roman emperors Commodus and Maximian often identified themselves. The Romans adopted the Greek account of his life and feats largely unchanged but added their own anecdotal details linking him to Central Mediterranean geography. They also adapted his cult practices to suit Rome's needs. The statue was unearthed in Cyprus' Gymnasium of Salamis.