Friday, 2 October 2026

First-century AD symplegma of Hermaphroditus and a satyr from ancient Oplontis

Marble sculptural group on a slab, showing Hermaphroditus from behind wrestling with a satyr who is falling backwards.

I Do Not Love You, and That Is My Chief Virtue!

A sculptural group of entwined bodies is called a symplegma. The symplegma of the 1st century AD, found in ancient Oplontis, depicts Hermaphroditus and a Satyr. Hermaphroditus, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite, is undergoing an extraordinary metamorphosis, while the satyr, who had not expected such a turn of events, is trying to flee in fear

Report a translation error