Laocoon

Laocoon was a Trojan hero who during the Trojan war tried to warn his compatriots against accepting the gift of the Trojan Horse. However, Athena and Poseidon, who supported the Greeks, sent two gigantic sea snakes to destroy Laocoon. This marble statue, dated to 40-30 BCE, captures the moment the snakes kill Laocoon and his two sons. According to the myth only the Trojan hero Aeneas heeded Laocoon’s advice and fled to eventually establish the city of Rome. Discovered on the Esquiline Hill in Rome. (The Vatican Museums).