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The Early Christian Heracles

This chapter is a summary of the role of Hercules in late antique art and literature, with a special focus on how Christian clergy and laypersons perceived the hero. Using literary texts and archaeological finds as source material, it shows that Hercules was still ubiquitous in late antiquity, even though there was a quantitative decline of depictions of the hero in comparison with earlier periods. Both daily life and the sepulchral sphere are considered; examples of relevant archaeological finds include the mosaics from the Roman villa at Piazza Armerina, the cycle of reliefs of Hercules’ deeds from the villa of Chiragan (France), and the wall paintings in the catacomb on the Via Latina in Rome. Additionally, the late antique stage as a space where people were confronted with the Hercules myth in the form of highly popular pantomimes is addressed. The chapter concludes with a section on the treatment of Hercules in apologetic literature, with a focus on Lactantius and Tertullian; in this context, the topos of the hero’s effeminate behavior at Omphale’s court in particular is considered.