Buckle showing Hercle (Herakles) with Omphale (Queen of Lydia), Etruscan, bronze, 525-500 BCE possibly found in Vulci, Italy at the Royal Ontario Museum

Herakles, the most popular of the Greek heroes, was known in Etruria as Hercle. He was wholeheartedly adopted by the Etruscans and is frequently seen on engraved mirrors, bronze statuettes, and architectural terracottas. His fabled “labours” were a favourite theme for Etruscan artists. Hercle is usually recognized, as in Greek art, by his lion-skin and club. - Royal Ontario Museum



Image: Buckle showing Hercle (Herakles) with Omphale (Queen of Lydia), Etruscan, bronze, 525-500 BCE possibly found in Vulci, Italy at the Royal Ontario Museum courtesy of the museum.

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