Œnochoe, Heracles and the Nemean Lion

The bowl of this œnochoe—a vase used to serve wine in ancient times—depicts Heracles (Hercules to the Romans) wrestling with a lion. Above the scene’s protagonists hang the demigod’s attributes: a club and a lion skin, surrounded by vines. Gifted with superhuman strength, Heracles was the son of Zeus and a mortal woman.

A fit of madness provoked by Hera, the jealous wife of the king of the gods, impelled him to murder his wife and children. The hero then sought forgiveness by serving the King of Tiryns who ordered him to perform twelve reputedly impossible labors.

His first was to fight the Nemean lion, which was terrorizing the Argolis region and devouring its people. After a ferocious fight, he vanquished the lion by throttling it with his bare hands.