Yes, Heracles if Greek but Hercules in Latinized form if Roman. And since it was found in Greece, you would think Heracles, but then it was found on a probably Roman ship, probably headed for Rome, and probably owned by a Roman, so could be either really.

@Fernapple Thanks. The first article I read was in the New York Times which used Hercules. I posted this one to avoid the paywall.

@MizJ @Fernapple
Since it was a Greek statue of the Greek God in question, it is Heracles.

The statue became Roman because of the Roman conquest of Greece and it's theft of Greek art. We who have adopted the Roman alphabet because of Roman conquest may say Hercules at times.

In this case, however, using Heracles is a reaffirmation of the Greek origin and the repudiation of the Latinization due to Roman conquest and this specific theft.

Let's not forget that the Romans enslaved the Greeks. Using the original name is not just a matter of linguistic accuracy...

Ask a Greek...

@Krish55 So it's the same mythological person whose name differs according to the language. Apparently you knew what character was being referred to and yet you felt compelled to correct and give a history lesson. .

@Krish55 Yes the boat was certainly carrying loot, but it could have been made to order for a Roman, there is no way of knowing. (PS I do prefer Heracles myself. )

@MizJ
Once , this is not merely an issue of linguistic accuracy. This is not just some academic trivia, so there is no need to feel offended and defensive about the correction.

This is an issue of cultural justice concerning artifacts. For a long time, England has refused to return Greek artifacts taken during English control of Greece. Referring to Greek artifacts by the Greek name reaffirms the Greek origin and the proper return of those artifacts to Greece. Using the Latin name helps to deligimize the Greek claim.

The article was not a general discussion of the god. It was rather about a specific Greek statue made in Greece of a specific Greek god.

It is quite understandable that you used the Latin name since that is what the article did. What is not understandable is reacting to the issue of cultural justice by taking offense when the correct cultural name is pointed out.