Hercules Battling the Lernaean Hydra
2023 © Maxim Tabachnik
Caracalla (as an Adult)Marriage of Dionysus and AriadneDionysus and AriadneMedusaWinged Putti Harvesting FruitHercules Battling the Lernaean HydraDeity with Serpent CoilsPraeneste FibulaDionysian ProcessionMap of Early Latial CentersWinged Putti Harvesting FruitFunerary Stele of Licinia Amias (Detail)

Hercules Battling the Lernaean Hydra

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This relief (2nd–3rd cc. AD) depicts Hercules in his battle against the multi-headed Hydra, one of his twelve labors. With heroic calm, he grapples with the serpents entwined around a female-bodied monster. The image celebrates Roman virtues of strength and perseverance in the face of chaos, a triumph of order over monstrosity.