Sports and society in ancient world - Essay Example

The athletes were usually covered completely in oil in order to magnify their physical attributes and at the same time keep off from gathering dust during competitions. The opinion of the Greek was that athletics differentiated them from those that were not of Greek origin. The aim of this paper is to analyze various athletic sculptures in a bid to determine conclusively the relationship between ancient Greece and sports. The figure depicts an athlete that is in the process of offering a sacrifice.

The athlete has one hand outstretched and the other is held in a fist. The structure is made of bronze and has a shiny outlook to it. The outstretched hand is open as though to depict the process of offering something to a deity. The use of bronze in depicting the athlete is because bronze in itself is easy to mold. The use of Bronze includes making a sculpture that requires a lot of molding and curving (Hawhee, 93). It bends easily just as marble. Its use concerning the question is because athletes were to be flexible and the use of Bronze made this apparent.

Ancient Greek was very religious, the sculpture, acted as an illustration of blessings for sports. The sculpture illustrates the desire of the athletics to attain divine blessings in their pursuit. The sculpture illustrates that ancient Greek athletes were expected to be religious in tune with their beliefs. They were prayerful and embodied the spiritual morality that the rest of Greece did. Athletes were meant to embody humility and not to believe wholly in their own capabilities, but for those of the deities.

The second figure illustrates an athlete that is leaning against a tree trunk. His stance is somewhat different from the ordinary human pose. On his head, something looks like either a crown or a ribbon. From the direction that his right hand is in, he placed the ribbon/crown on his head himself. Although there may be faint traces of