The Pillars of Hercules are the landforms that line up on either side of the entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar. The northern pillar, called Calpe Mons, is known as the Rock of Gibraltar. The southern pillar, Abila Mons, has been a topic of debate for many years because no single peak in North Africa is clearly dominant. The two most likely choices for this southern pillar are Monte Hacho in Ceuta and Jebel Musa in Morocco. The term "Pillars of Hercules" was used in ancient times, as recorded by Pliny the Elder in his work Naturalis Historia (Book III:3).
History
In Greek mythology, which the Etruscans and Romans also used, Hercules had to complete twelve labors. One of these, the tenth, was to bring the Cattle of Geryon from the far West to Eurystheus. This journey marked the farthest point of his travels to the west. A lost passage from Pindar, mentioned by Strabo, was the first known reference to this: "the pillars Pindar called the 'gates of Gades,' which he claimed were the farthest limits reached by Heracles." Since Herodotus linked Heracles with Melqart, the "Pillars of Melqart" in a temple near Gades (modern Cádiz) were sometimes thought to be the true Pillars of Hercules.
Plato described the legendary island of Atlantis as lying beyond the "Pillars of Hercules." During the Renaissance, it was said the pillars had a warning: "Ne plus ultra" ("nothing further beyond"), meant to stop sailors from traveling too far.
Some Roman sources said Hercules, while traveling to the garden of the Hesperides on the island of Erytheia, crossed a mountain once held by Atlas. Instead of climbing, he used his strength to break through the mountain, connecting the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and creating the Strait of Gibraltar. One part of the broken mountain is Gibraltar, and the other is either Monte Hacho or Jebel Musa. These two mountains became known as the Pillars of Hercules. However, Diodorus Siculus claimed Hercules did not break through a mountain but instead narrowed an existing strait to stop monsters from entering the Mediterranean.
In some stories, Heracles built the pillars to hold up the sky, freeing Atlas from his punishment.
Beyond Gades, Phoenician merchants established colonies in modern-day Morocco, starting with Lixus, then Chellah, and finally Mogador, as they expanded along the Atlantic coast.
Near the eastern shore of Gades (modern Cádiz), Strabo described the westernmost temple of Tyrian Heracles, the god linked to the Phoenician Melqart by Greek interpretation. Inside, two bronze pillars, each eight cubits tall, were claimed by some to be the true Pillars of Hercules. However, Strabo doubted this, noting the pillars had no inscriptions about Heracles, only records of the Phoenicians’ costs in building them. The Melqart temple at Tyre also held religious importance.
Syriac scholars knew about the Pillars through translating Greek scientific works into Syriac and Arabic. A Syriac text called Ktaba d'ellat koll 'ellan ("Cause of All Causes") unusually claimed there were three pillars, not two.
In art
In Inferno XXVI, Dante Alighieri describes Ulysses in the pit of the Fraudulent Counsellors. Ulysses speaks about his journey past the Pillars of Hercules. He tells his sailors that their dangerous voyage is worth it because he wants to learn about the unknown. After five months at sea, Ulysses sees the mountain of Purgatory. However, a whirlwind from the mountain causes his ship to sink, killing everyone on board. This happens because they tried to reach Purgatory while still alive, using only their own strength and intelligence.
The Pillars of Hercules appear on the engraved title page of Sir Francis Bacon’s Instauratio Magna ("Great Renewal"), published in 1620. This work was never completed, but its second part, Novum Organum, became very influential. The motto at the bottom of the image reads, "Many will pass through and knowledge will be the greater." The image was inspired by how the Pillars of Hercules were used in Spanish and Habsburg promotional materials.
In the northernmost part of Africa, the Spanish-controlled area of Ceuta has a modern statue called "The Pillars of Hercules" (Spanish: Columnas de Hércules). The statue shows two large bronze pillars being pushed apart by the figure of Hercules. It was created by the Ceuta artist Ginés Serrán-Pagán.
On the Spanish coast near Los Barrios, there are twin towers called Torres de Hércules. These buildings were inspired by the Pillars of Hercules. They were the tallest structures in Andalusia until the Cajasol Tower in Seville was completed in 2015.
Inside the National Autonomous University of Mexico’s Central Library, there is a mural titled Historical Representation of Culture by artist Juan O’Gorman. The mural includes an image of the Pillars of Hercules. This image is a reference to Mexico’s colonial history and the rule of the Habsburg family, including King Charles V.
Coat of arms
The Pillars are part of the coat of arms of Spain and were first used in the emblem of Spain’s 16th-century ruler, Charles I, who was also known as Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. The idea came from the Italian humanist Luigi Marliano, who included the motto "Plus Ultra," meaning "further beyond" in Latin. This suggested the Pillars represented a path to new lands. The phrase was changed from "Nec plus ultra" ("Nothing more beyond") after the discovery of the Americas. This discovery showed that the Pillars were not the farthest point west in the known world.