noun
- Plural of herma; squared stone pillars with a carved head (usually of Hermes) on top, used in ancient Greece as boundary markers or decorative monuments.
Usage: classical antiquity; archaeology
Examples
- The ancient Greeks placed hermae along roads to mark property boundaries.
- Hermae featuring the head of Hermes were common in Athenian public spaces.
- Archaeologists discovered several hermae during excavations of the classical site.
- The hermae served both practical and religious purposes in ancient Greek culture.