3-083-560 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Statue of a Man in Armor, late 2nd century . In the centre of the breastplate is a head of the Gorgon, Medusa, presumably to instill fear in an opponent. On the shoulder straps are lightning bolts associated with the hero Hercules, and the belt at the waist is tied in a square knot called a Hercules Knot. The two eagle-headed griffins also suggest strength or valor. The lappets, or hanging tabs below the edge of the breastplate, are decorated with lion heads, perhaps in another allusion to Hercules.