Museum Explorer
Gods and spirits in Ancient Greece
Statuette of Hermes
From: Saponara, southern Italy
Date: 200-100 BC
Curators think this little statue is of the god Hermes. Hermes carried messages for the gods and also led the souls of the dead to the Underworld. Hermes is often shown wearing sandals with wings on the sides so he could fly away easily to take the gods' messages. Sometimes he is shown wearing a winged hat or, as in this picture, a flat sunhat called a petasos.
He can sometimes also carry a wand entwined with a snake. Can you see that there is a little gap in his right hand, where he might have held a wand?
