Apollo Belvedere

The Greek god Apollo was the personification of eternal youth and beauty--stalwart, athletic, and beardless. This, the Apollo Belvedere (Vatican Museum), the most famous statue of the god, is a Roman copy of the original by Leochares, an Athenian sculptor of the 4th century BC

In Greek mythology, Apollo and his twin sister, Artemis, were the children of Zeus and Leto and were born on the island of Delos. Hence, Apollo was often called the Delian god, and Delos long remained a center of his worship. He was also identified closely with Delphi, in central Greece, where he killed the serpent Python and founded the most renowned center for prophecy in the ancient world, the shrine of the Delphic Oracle. Areas of special concern to Apollo were prophecy, medicine, the fine arts, archery, beauty, flocks and herds, law, courage, and wisdom. Associated with him were the tripod, omphalos (a beehive-shaped stone at Delphi, designating that spot as the center or navel of the Earth), lyre, bow and arrows, laurel wreath, palm tree, wolf, hawk, crow, and fawn. Although Apollo was not Greek in origin, he became, next to Zeus, the god most revered by the Greeks and the god who best embodied the Greek spirit. Later he became confused with the sun-god Helios and was considered the god of light. Of Apollo's many loves, one of the best known was Daphne, who fled his embraces and was turned into his tree, the laurel. From that time on, Apollo wore a laurel wreath. Laurel wreaths became the prize awarded in athletic and musical competitions. Asclepius, a son of Apollo, became the god of medicine; another son, Linus, was a renowned music teacher. In Roman mythology, Apollo represented the literary and fine arts, culture, and the law. Augustus (r. 31 ©-¥ 14) built a magnificent temple to him and included in it two public libraries, one for Greek works and another for Latin works. Apollo was a favorite subject for artists of every medium. The walls of his temple at Delphi bore two Greek maxims, "Know Thyself" and "Nothing in Excess."