Discus-thrower (discobolus)
Roman copy of a bronze original of the 5th
century BC
From Hadrian's Villa in Tivoli, Lazio, Italy
One of the most famous images from the ancient
world
This marble statue is one of several copies of a lost bronze
original of the fifth century BC which was attributed to the
sculptor Myron (flourished about 470-440 BC). The head on this
figure has been wrongly restored, and should be turned to look
towards the discus. The popularity of the sculpture in antiquity
was no doubt due to its representation of the athletic ideal.
Discus-throwing was the first element in the pentathlon, and while
pentathletes were in some ways considered inferior to those
athletes who excelled at a particular sport, their physical
appearance was much admired. This was because no one particular set
of muscles was over-developed, with the result that their
proportions were harmonious.
A number of ancient discuses of either marble or metal, and of
various weights, survive. Little is known of the distances achieved
in antiquity, though an epigram celebrating a throw of 30 metres
(95 feet) comes as a surprise in the modern world, where the
current world record is just over 70 metres. However, the ancient
technique of discus-throwing may have been rather different: there
is no representational evidence for anything more than a
three-quarter turn, rather than the two and a half turns used
today, and this may be one factor making a direct comparison
difficult.
J. Swaddling, The ancient Olympic Games, 3rd edition (London, The British Museum Press, 2004)
J.C.H. King (ed.), Human image (London, The British Museum Press, 2000)