A marble statue of Hercules dating back to the second century C.E.has been found in an archeological dig in northern Israel, Israel's Antiquities Authority announced on Monday. The statue, approximately a meter and half tall, was probably part of the decoration of a bathhouse pool.

The statue depicts Hercules leaning on a club, with the skin of the Nemean lion hanging from it. Hercules killed the monstrous lion as the first of the twelve "Labors of Hercules." Archeologist Walid Atrash of the Israel Antiquities Authority said the statue is a rare and high-quality discovery.

Open gallery view The marble statue of Hercules, displayed August 2011 Credit: Israel Antiquities Authority

Hercules, son of the god Zeus (Jupiter in Roman mythology) and the mortal Alcmnene, was considered in the Greek and Roman civilizations as a symbol of power, bravery and superhuman strength.

The excavation took place at Horvat Tarbenet in the Jezreel Valley, which was a Jewish settlement in the third century C.E.

