Hercules: Myth and Legacy

The second exhibition in our Animal Gods series.

Explore the labours of Hercules through the animals, art and cultural artefacts that have carried his name through the ages..

Ancient myths from Greece and Rome have shaped our modern world in surprising ways. They have been translated into many languages for more than 2,000 years and continue to echo through contemporary society across a multitude of material culture.

The loudest of these echoes is created by the ancient legend of Hercules. His legend has reverberated through the ages, forming a legacy that manifests in the modern world in many different guises.

This multidisciplinary exhibition explores the Twelve Labours of Hercules through artworks inspired by his legend, as well as natural history specimens, landmarks and cultural artefacts that carry his name.

Featured in the exhibition

Attic black figure amphora depicting the battle of Hercules and Kyknos, Antimenes Painter, Athens, Greece, 525–500 BC, Nicholson Collection, NM77.1

'Dynastes hercules' (Linnaeus, 1758) Hercules beetle, collected Central or South America, 1790–1840, Macleay Collections, NHEN.39279

Théodore Géricault, [Hercules and Antaeus], c.1816, ink on paper, University Art Collection, UA2010.118

'Coscinocera hercules' (Miskin, 1876) Hercules moth, collected Normanby Island, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea, 1988, Macleay Collections, NHEN.37594

Header image: (Left to right) Alcedo Hercules Laubmann, 1917. Blyth’s kingfisher, collected Nankeen Province, China 1989, NHB.8873; Black-figure lekythos depicting Herakles with the Erymanthian boar, Athens 525-500 BC, NM46.52; Club, Eia River area, Damberode, Hercules Bay, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea, 1870-1910, ET86.11

Level 2, Nicholson Galleries

Plan your visit

Everything you need to know

Exhibition Catalogue

Download from the University of Sydney Library

English

French translation

Korean translation

Animal Gods

Explore the first iteration of the exhibition