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'Hercules' vs. Elite Athletes 100 Years Ago

xMathFanx

xMathFanx

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Consider, if the Ancient Greeks built the 'Hercules' statue, then why were the Elite Athletes 100 years ago so comparatively inferior?

'Hercules'

Statue-Of-Hercules.jpg

'John Flanagan: 3 Time Olympic Gold Medalist at Hammer Throw'

John_Flanagan.jpg
 
Because they weren’t half god?
 
Skeptic Bob said:
Because they weren’t half god?
Click to expand...

You missed the point entirely.

The Ancienct Greeks created a statue of a man who is highly physically advanced, even by todays standards; which is highly suggestive that (at least one) such a man existed thousands of years ago. Fast-forward 2000 years and the Elite athletes in the world looked like the stereotype of men who would have to be forced to take Gym class against their will, and would be happy Dodgeball is no longer part of the standard curriculum.

Do you have any thoughts on how and/or why this may be?
 
xMathFanx said:
You missed the point entirely.

The Ancienct Greeks created a statue of a man who is highly physically advanced, even by todays standards; which is highly suggestive that (at least one) such a man existed thousands of years ago. Fast-forward 2000 years and the Elite athletes in the world looked like the stereotype of men who would have to be forced to take Gym class against their will, and would be happy Dodgeball is no longer part of the standard curriculum.

Do you have any thoughts on how and/or why this may be?
Click to expand...

I’m not certain that it does mean somebody looks like that. It could just be their idealized version, just like we do with our super hero comics.

But a better comparison may be body builders. The pre-steroid body builders back in the day looked more like that statue than the regular athletes. Athletes train more for functionality than aesthetics, unlike body builders.
 
Skeptic Bob said:
I’m not certain that it does mean somebody looks like that. It could just be their idealized version, just like we do with our super hero comics.

But a better comparison may be body builders. The pre-steroid body builders back in the day looked more like that statue than the regular athletes. Athletes train more for functionality than aesthetics, unlike body builders.
Click to expand...

Research the performance numbers from athletes 100 years ago--they are extremely unimpressive by nearly all measures.
 
xMathFanx said:
You missed the point entirely.

The Ancienct Greeks created a statue of a man who is highly physically advanced, even by todays standards; which is highly suggestive that (at least one) such a man existed thousands of years ago. Fast-forward 2000 years and the Elite athletes in the world looked like the stereotype of men who would have to be forced to take Gym class against their will, and would be happy Dodgeball is no longer part of the standard curriculum.

Do you have any thoughts on how and/or why this may be?
Click to expand...

Whatta crock of crap.
 
xMathFanx said:
You missed the point entirely.

The Ancienct Greeks created a statue of a man who is highly physically advanced, even by todays standards; which is highly suggestive that (at least one) such a man existed thousands of years ago. Fast-forward 2000 years and the Elite athletes in the world looked like the stereotype of men who would have to be forced to take Gym class against their will, and would be happy Dodgeball is no longer part of the standard curriculum.

Do you have any thoughts on how and/or why this may be?
Click to expand...

You're comparing a 4th century sculpture of what's supposed to be a mythological demigod who is known for awesome strength. Of course he's going to look so much more burly and bigger than an 19th century hammer thrower. A better conversation would be the growth between athletes from the 1800's to the 21st century. That's reasonable, rational growth we could more accurate measure and discover the causes.

Athletics, like most other things can be broken down into a science and because of that, over a long period of time we've developed better workout regiments, diets, equipment, etc. That's why an offensive lineman in 1941 is almost half the size of an NFL offensive lineman today.
 
It is well known of Greek art that bodily features were exaggerated based on aesthetic appeal of the time. The Greeks and Romans were actually rather short in stature.

No, just because a sculpture exists from back then does not mean it's a reflection of the people who actually lived.

That would be like someone finding an airbrushed photo of one our magazine-cover celebrities and thinking everyone from this time period looked that way.

Art is art. Reality is reality.
 
Northern Light said:
That would be like someone finding an airbrushed photo of one our magazine-cover celebrities and thinking everyone from this time period looked that way.
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Who has stated "everyone from that time period looked that way"--aside from you?
 
Northern Light said:
It is well known of Greek art that bodily features were exaggerated based on aesthetic appeal of the time. The Greeks and Romans were actually rather short in stature.

No, just because a sculpture exists from back then does not mean it's a reflection of the people who actually lived.

That would be like someone finding an airbrushed photo of one our magazine-cover celebrities and thinking everyone from this time period looked that way.

Art is art. Reality is reality.
Click to expand...

If i may chime in. Some people are born with a lean, muscularly well defined body if that is what this thread is all about. One of my classmates had such a physique that I thought beautiful. I sometimes wonder how he would look today if he even is still around.
 
xMathFanx said:
Great argument & critical thinking skills--truly awe-inspiring
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That statue isn't from 'Ancient' Greece, and it's famed for it's exagerrated muscularity. If you think it's impressive in that picture, you oughta see the backside of it.

Here's an ancient Greek statue of an athlete...

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorious_Youth

Sorry, I can't embed the pic with this device.

edit- here's the pic from a Greek 2nd or 3rd century BC statue of an athlete...

Surviving_Greek_Bronze.jpg
 
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xMathFanx said:
You missed the point entirely.

The Ancienct Greeks created a statue of a man who is highly physically advanced, even by todays standards; which is highly suggestive that (at least one) such a man existed thousands of years ago. Fast-forward 2000 years and the Elite athletes in the world looked like the stereotype of men who would have to be forced to take Gym class against their will, and would be happy Dodgeball is no longer part of the standard curriculum.

Do you have any thoughts on how and/or why this may be?
Click to expand...

1, The statue is over emphasising the muscles. It is not a direct representation of a particular man.

2, Body builders don't win olympic medals. They just look very highly muscled. They are not even strong men, as in strong man competitions.
 
I think the OP poses a fair question. I've often wondered myself how you see Renaissance paintings of balding old men who are ripped. If there weren't at least younger men that ripped back then, how would they know what it would look like? DaVinci observed autopsy's in order to get a more detailed understanding of how to paint the human anatomy. I've attached one of DaVinci's drawings.

My guess is that food became easier to obtain during the Industrial Revolution and people covered up some of their muscle with fat. The guy in the OP's pic actually has some impressive quads and calves, but one might normally focus on his pudgy waist and baggy clothes.

davinci.jpg
 
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