Idealization of the power of Hispanic elites through the representation of Hercules mosaics.

Hercules has been, without a doubt, one of the most revered mythological figures in the Greco- Roman world since the emergence of accounts of his exploits. Courage, bravery, and physical strength were some of the virtues associated with the hero, a reason which explains the adoption of his attributes in the official representations of emperors of the High Imperial era, such as Commodus, and the Low Imperial era, such as Maximian. The appeal radiated by the figure of Hercules also reached many Roman aristocrats, who held important public positions and spent their leisure time in retreat at their luxurious villae and domus. Evidence of this can be seen in the dissemination throughout the empire of mosaics with mythological representations of the hero. In this work, we will review the mosaic representations of Hercules documented to date in the villae and domus spaces across the empire, to later focus on the Hispania case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]