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This statue of Hermes binding his sandal is a second-century AD copy of a Greek original by Lysippos. It is 5ft. 4in. high and was found in the Palestra of the South Bath of Perge in 1977. It is almost complete—compared to other copies found in museums around the world.
Hermes is standing on his left leg (missing) and resting his right foot/sandal on the back of a turtle whose head is missing. In mythology, he made the shell of a turtle into a "harp" (kithara)
and gave it to Apollo to avert his anger.
Hermes was considered to be the herald of the gods. He was the protector of travelers, thieves, merchants, and shepherds. He transported the dead to the underworld. He typically had wings on his head and feet and carried a "staff" called a caduceus (all of these are missing).
