Final answer:
The modern name for the Pillars of Heracles is the Straights of Gibraltar, located between Spain and Morocco. The Pillars are linked with the Greek hero Heracles, famed for his twelve labors and recognized through various forms of Classical art and sculpture.
Step-by-step explanation:
The modern name for the Pillars of Heracles is the Straights of Gibraltar. These are the two promontories at the southern tip of Spain and the northern tip of Morocco marking the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean.
The ancient Greeks believed these to be the pillars that Heracles (known to the Romans as Hercules) erected during his labors. In Classical and Hellenistic Greece, Heracles was celebrated not only for his physical might, as depicted in statues such as the Farnese Hercules, but also through works such as the metopes of the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, illustrating his heroic feats, including his twelve labors.
These labors, as described by Dr. Zucker, were part of his penance for past misdeeds, and are well-documented in both literature and sculpture from the period, often showing Heracles's idealized, muscular physique as a sign of his divine lineage and heroic status.