Hercules: the original Olympian

In Greek mythology, Hercules (Heracles) is the sone of the god Zeus and Alceme who was mortal, hence Hercules is half mortal and to prove his worthiness to be a demigod he was tasked with carrying out 12 labours to test his courage, strength and endurance... The BGS statue of Hercules was commissioned as part of the collection of material in the Museum of Practical geology, in London. The items displayed in the museum were selected to "illustrate the fitness of the material for such purposes"... The sculptor of the BGS Hercules was Charles Harriot Smith (1792-1864) and as well as excelling in art and design he acquired consoderable knowledge and understanding of geology and became an authority on building stones.