Archaeologists from Aristotle University discovered a statue of the Roman god Hercules that is in remarkably good shape considering it’s nearly 2,000 years old. The god is known for his super-strength and it appears the trait applies to statues of him as well. The son of Zeus is often depicted with a lion skin cloak over his arm and holding a club. Though the statue is in pieces, the team of professors and students found each of these elements, which helped them identify the ancient artifact as Hercules.

According to a press release from the Greek Ministry of Culture and Sports, the team found the statue amongst the ruins of a building that dates back to the 8th or 9th century. The statue itself was likely already hundreds of years old. This provides insights into how people in that era decorated important buildings. We learned about the find on DesignTAXI. 

The team from Aristotle University are excavating areas of the ancient Greek city of Philippi, which was once part of the Roman and Byzantine Empires. Archaeologists still find statues of Roman gods that are thousands of years old throughout modern-day cities that were once within the bounds of the empire. They even show up much farther afield. One marble bust bought in a Texas thrift store turned out to be a valuable artifact from ancient Rome.   

Other recent sightings of Hercules include Brett Goldstein’s cameo in the Thor: Love and Thunder mid-credits scene. Only time will tell if the son of Zeus will return for more time in the MCU. Meanwhile, Guy Ritchie is also directing a live-action movie based on Disney’s animated classic.  

Melissa is Nerdist’s science & technology staff writer. She also moderates “science of” panels at conventions and co-hosts Star Warsologies, a podcast about science and Star Wars. Follow her on Twitter @melissatruth. 

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