Limestone statue of Herakles
Not on view
In the late sixth century B.C. a local Cypriot god was assimilated with the powerful animal-slaying Greek hero, Herakles. On Cyprus he is shown bearded or beardless, wearing a lion's skin and a short tunic and holding a miniature lion in his hand. Herakles was the male divinity most often represented in Cypriot sanctuaries. In the Classical period, King Evagoras of Salamis placed images of Herakles as a Panhellenic hero on his coinage. At the same time the Phoenician kings at Kition identified him with the Phoenician god, Melqart, who was worshiped at Kition.
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