2-368-638 - Samuel Magal/Sites & Photos/Heritage Images

Statue of Ares/Hermes at the northern end of the Canopus, Hadrian's Villa, Tivoli, Italy. Hadrian's Villa was the luxurious retreat of Emperor Hadrian in Tibur (modern Tivoli) and was one of the most magnificent villas in the ancient world. It was built in the 2nd century AD as a home for the emperor and his court. During the later years of his reign, he actually governed the empire from the villa. The villa shows echoes of many different architectural orders, mostly Greek and Egyptian. The large Canopus pool (119 x 18 metres) was named after the canal that linked Alexandria with Canopus on the Nile delta. One of the statues that embellish the mixed architecture at the end of the semicircular Euripus at the northern end of the pool, represents a young warrior wearing a tall helmet, the so-called 'Ares', actually Hermes, recognized by the caduceus, a typical attribute of the god, traces of which are apparent on his right arm. The sculpture is a Roman copy of a Classical Greek original statue.