Hercules, Wroxeter Roman City

This carved head, a rather crude, provincial effort, depicts Hercules and was probably from a temple dedicated to Hercules. The identification as Hercules comes from the lion’s skin cape he wears. The darker colour of his eyes indicates that this piece of sculpture may originally have been painted. The child of Zeus and a mortal woman, Hercules was a demi-god. He was a hugely popular hero in classical legends, admired for his strength, courage, ingenuity and sexual prowess.