The book, E.’s doctoral dissertation at the University of Heidelberg, makes a welcome contribution to the field of reception studies by examining the artistic and literary treatments of Hercules during Late Antiquity (from about 250 to 600 c.e.) when, in a rapidly changing world, Christianity rose to prominence across the lands controlled by the Roman Empire. The purpose of the work is set out from the start, the relevant terms are defined clearly, and the arguments flow reasonably. E. is right in pointing out the unsystematic use of the terms pagan and Christian in the identity struggles that people experienced during this time (pp. 11–18) as well as the continuing influence of classical education in shaping people's thought and artistic expressions (pp. 19–22).

The book is divided into three sections, each comprising a number of chapters; however, while the organisation of the material is meticulous, the reasons behind it are not always obvious. For example, the first section is devoted to Hercules in the living environment, but while the first chapter makes a promising start with an examination of Hercules’ representations in the domestic sphere, the second half of this section (or second chapter) deals with Hercules in the literary and philosophical writings of Late Antiquity – which, to my mind, belong to the living environment considerably less than the imperial propaganda items discussed in the second part of the book. Although E. wisely stirs away from passé classifications such as east–west (cf. p. 6 at 2.3) or private–public, the book would have benefited from a more creative approach to the organisation of the material.

Nonetheless, by utilising the first chapter as a kind of window into people's everyday spaces, E. adopts a novel perspective for studying Hercules’ ongoing influence among the masses, under the proviso, of course, that deciphering the meaning of these domestic representations depends on the background knowledge of specific individuals (p. 26). Her extensive survey (pp. 23–105) includes mosaics, a number of which (mainly those from the Near East) feature Hercules in Dionysian contexts (see also R. Ettinghausen, From Byzantium to Sasanian Iran and the Islamic World: Three Modes of Artistic Influence [1972], pp. 8–9); such representations tend to be neutral in terms of religion and, therefore, equally appealing to pagans, Christians and Jews. Other motifs popular in mosaics include Hercules and Auge, his Twelve Labours as well as some of his parerga, such as his fight against the Libyan giant Antaeus. E. juxtaposes Hercules’ Dionysian representations, emphasising his well-deserved otium at the aftermath of his Labours, with his fourth-century portrayals as a main Christian paradigm of virtue in the context of the hero's polyvalence. However, in my view, a discussion of the mystical aspects of Hercules in light of his Dionysian and Orphic connections, evident already in the Hellenistic period but systematically developed under the Roman Empire (see J. Collins Clinton, A Late Antique Shrine of Liber Pater at Coca [1977], pp. 26–8; J.N. Bremmer, Initiation into the Mysteries of the Ancient World [2014], pp. 147–64), as well as his syncretism with Mithras, whose cult was widespread by the second century c.e. (see, for example, L. Nees, Early Medieval Art [2002], p. 43), would have been valuable here and could have potentially allowed E. to form a more nuanced argument about the gradual transformation of Hercules from a model of aggressive pagan masculinity to a paradigm of Christian morality. In addition, some engagement with the bibliography that explores the late-antiquity debates about defining Christian masculinity should have informed the overall argument at this point (e.g. M. Kuefler, The Manly Eunuch: Masculinity, Gender Ambiguity, and Christian Ideology in Late Antiquity [2001]). E. also examines statues of Hercules as well as reliefs decorated with the hero's representation, silver, ceramic and glass dishes, furnishings such as table legs, lamps, and even textiles and jewellery. The chapter also considers garden gnomes in the shape of Hercules as well as his presence in public baths and the Hippodrome of Constantinople. As mentioned, in the second chapter of the first section (pp. 106–56) E. registers the use of Hercules by Christian writers, who either reject him on the basis of his lustful adventures, such as his affair with the Lydian queen Omphale, or praise him as an excellent model of virtue, as in the works of the Neoplatonists Boethius and Macrobius. The popular metaphor of Hercules at the crossroads introduced by Prodicus’ adaptation of Hesiod's WD 287–92 (cf. Xen. Mem. 2.1.21–34) and its later employment by the Stoics are also mentioned (pp. 147–50). In my opinion, this is the least successful part of the book because, although E. claims to have been inspired by the continuous fascination of modern societies with Hercules and his role as an exemplum virtutis (p. 1), she offers very little analysis of the texts and ideas that establish the hero as such.

The second half of the book offers a comprehensive account of Hercules’ employment in imperial propaganda, starting with the Batavian emperor Postumus, who tried to establish the Gallic empire (the first chapter of Section 2), and continuing with the diarchy of Diocletian and Maximian and its Herculean investment in the Panegyrici Latini (the second chapter of Section 2). E. glosses over the use of Hercules by Constantius I, whom Diocletian appointed as Caesar in the west in 293, and his son Constantine (pp. 196–8) before focusing on the use of the hero in the coinage of Maximian and the few medallions that survive from the time of his reign. This chapter also covers the employment of Hercules by Galerius, the eastern Caesar appointed by Diocletian, especially in the context of his rivalry with Constantine (pp. 215–16), and concludes with Hercules’ appeal to Carausius, who declared himself emperor of Britain and northern Gaul in 286. The third chapter of this section is dedicated to the use of the hero by later emperors, including Julian the Apostate, Gratian, Theodosius I, his son Honorius and his regent Stilicho. E. also examines the presence of Hercules in the agendas of fifth-century emperors such as Avitus, Majorian, the powerful general Ricimer and Anastasius I. Overall, this section exemplifies the main strength of the book: despite the lack of critical analysis, readers will find a thorough survey of Hercules’ role in imperial propaganda accompanied by up-to-date bibliographical references.

The third section focuses on the role of Hercules in the intensifying clash between paganism and Christianity in Late Antiquity and is introduced with a chapter on the surviving pagan cults of Hercules. The accumulation of evidence regarding temples, cultic images and personnel still devoted to the cult of Hercules in Late Antiquity is extremely valuable, but the conclusion of this section (that the Christian onslaught could hardly wipe out the memory of pagan Hercules) merely reiterates the project's raison d’être. Next, E. examines the importance of Hercules in the so-called ‘pagan revival’ of the fourth century. In this context, she discusses a number of contourniates (pp. 288–302) produced from the middle to the end of the fourth century, giving us insights into a little noted type of material culture. The book concludes with an examination of the revolt of Eugenius, the last emperor to support paganism, who was crushed by Theodosius in the battle of Frigidus – an event often perceived as a religious war between pagans and Christians (pp. 303–22) (P. Crawford, ‘The Battle of Frigidus River’, The Ancient World 43 [2012], 33–52).

Notwithstanding the issues noted above, this is a well-presented volume that will become an important resource for the study of Hercules’ reception in Late Antiquity.