Cicero tells us that in Agrigento, in the cella (shrine) of the Temple of Heracles, there was a beautiful bronze statue dedicated to the demigod, so ardently venerated that it was ruined at the chin and mouth, because of the kisses that worshippers left as a sign of their adoration.
Verres, governor of Sicily from 73 to 71 BC, once tried to steal the statue from the temple, but his attempt was foiled by the citizens of Agrigento who worked together to defend their statue.
