Hercules (known to the Greeks as Herakles) was technically a hero rather than a proper god; his mother, Alkmene, was a mortal woman who had been impregnated by Zeus. The magnitude of Hercules' deeds, however, ultimately secured his immortality, as well as the religious devotion of many generations of Greeks and Romans. His immense popularity with rulers and common people alike led to the construction of numerous temples in his honor in Rome and elsewhere in Italy, in addition to countless more modest private shrines.

This bronze statue of Hercules, immediately identifiable by the skin of the Nemean lion draped over one shoulder, is reported to have been discovered about 1872 in central Italy. Associated with a small, round building, the roughly half-life-size statue is much larger than the scores of bronze statuettes alleged to have been found with it. Its scale and context suggest that it served as the cult image in a local, or perhaps even private, temple to Hercules. This level of prominence would have justified the expense of the silver or other precious material originally inlaid into the now-empty eye sockets. A small depression in the palm of Hercules' outstretched right hand may have held some sort of attribute-perhaps a cup that would have recalled both his famed drinking contest with the wine god, Dionysus (Dionysos to the Greeks), and his hard-earned right to participate in divine banquets. Or perhaps he clutched the magical golden apples that he stole from the garden of the Hesperides, one of his final labors on the path to immortality.

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