HELLENISTIC PERIOD, CIRCA 3RD-2ND CENTURY B.C.

The hero is here depicted as a mature man with long beard and heavy musculature, with the skin of the Nemean lion draped over his left arm. Although now lost, he would have once held his signature club in his right hand. Greek and Roman artists often portrayed Herakles as middle-aged, as though greater maturity would increase his power and virility.