▁de ity ▁who ▁helps ▁guide ▁sou ls ▁of ▁the ▁dece ased ▁to ▁the ▁after life , ▁and ▁his ▁image ▁was ▁commonly ▁dep icted ▁on ▁grav est ones ▁in ▁classical ▁Greece . ▁ ▁As ▁a ▁god ▁of ▁boundaries ▁ ▁In ▁An cient ▁Greece , ▁Herm es ▁was ▁a ▁ph all ic ▁god ▁of ▁boundaries . ▁His ▁name , ▁in ▁the ▁form ▁her ma , ▁was ▁applied ▁to ▁a ▁way side ▁marker ▁p ile ▁of ▁stones ; ▁each ▁travel er ▁added ▁a ▁stone ▁to ▁the ▁p ile . ▁In ▁the ▁ 6 th ▁century ▁BC , ▁Hi pp arch os , ▁the ▁son ▁of ▁P is istr atus , ▁replaced ▁the ▁c air ns ▁that ▁marked ▁the ▁mid way ▁point ▁between ▁each ▁village ▁de me ▁at ▁the ▁central ▁ag ora ▁of ▁Ath ens ▁with ▁a ▁square ▁or ▁rect angular ▁pill ar ▁of ▁stone ▁or ▁bronze ▁to pped ▁by ▁a ▁b ust ▁of ▁Herm es ▁with ▁a ▁be ard . ▁An ▁ere ct ▁ph all us ▁rose ▁from ▁the ▁base . ▁In ▁the ▁more ▁primitive ▁Mount ▁K yll ini ▁or ▁Cy ll en ian ▁herm s , ▁the ▁standing ▁stone ▁or ▁wooden ▁pill ar ▁was ▁simply ▁a ▁car ved ▁ph all us . ▁" That ▁a ▁monument ▁of ▁this ▁kind ▁could ▁be ▁transformed ▁into ▁an ▁Olymp ian ▁god ▁is ▁ast ounding ," ▁Walter ▁Bur k ert ▁remarked . ▁In ▁Ath ens , ▁herm s ▁were ▁placed ▁outside ▁houses , ▁both ▁as ▁a ▁form ▁of ▁protection ▁for ▁the ▁home , ▁a ▁symbol ▁of ▁male ▁fert ility ,