Roman Marble Replica of Discobolus
source: Wikimedia Commons
author: Livioandronico2013
Description
A white marble statue depicts a muscular man preparing to throw a discus. He holds the discus in his right hand, twisting his upper body down and to the right in preparation for the launch.
Date
Artifact: c. 140 AD
Photo: March 2015
Information
The athlete depicted in this marble sculpture is winding up to throw a discus, displaying the proper form for the sport. The discus toss was one of the five events in the pentathlon, an event introduced to the ancient Olympic Games in 708 BC. The pentathlon was also an event in the Pythian Games and Nemean Games.
This statue is a Roman reproduction of an original Greek bronze sculpture, Diskobólos (meaning “discus thrower”), from c. 450 BC. Though the original work is lost, it lives on through numerous Roman reproductions such as this one.
At the time of photograph, this sculpture was housed in the National Roman Museum.
Related Articles
Greek Pentathlon | Greek Discus | Ancient Olympic Games | Pythian Games | Nemean Games | Panhellenic Games
Scanlon, T. F. (2014). Sport in the Greek and Roman worlds. Vol 1. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Zarnowski, F. (2013). The pentathlon of the ancient world. McFarland.
Adams, W. L., & Gerlach, L. R. (2002). The Olympic Games: Ancient and modern. Boston, MA: Pearson Custom Pub.