The Life of the Athlete

This exhibition explores ancient Attic athletics and the athlete’s journey from training to competition to success and legacy. Synonymous with beauty, athletes in ancient Attica trained their bodies and minds, competed for glory, and if exceptional, transcended their already heightened status from athlete to idol. Youthful athletes with defined musculature embodied elite Athenian values reflecting the moral and physical ideal for citizens. The quantity and variety of scenes on Athletic pottery, in addition to other visual arts and poetry, provides insight into how athletes were perceived and revered among ancient Greeks immortalizing their kleos (fame and glory). Explore the visual journey of an ancient Attic athlete on these vases and consider the similarities they may share with successful athletes of today.