Discobolos
(c450 BC) Roman marble copy after bronze original (Rome, National Museum)
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Discobolos
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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. Height: 1.7 m
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