Description
Plaster cast of a grave stele of an athlete. Original is housed in the Archaeological Museum in Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey. Site of origin is Nisyros, Greece, circa 5th century BCE.
Publication Date
1978
Type of Artwork
Relief
Time Period/Geographical Region
Ancient Greece
Height (cm/in)
182.88 cm / 72 in
Width (cm/in)
63.5 cm / 25 in
Depth (cm/in)
10.16 cm / 4 in
Disciplines
Ancient History, Greek and Roman through Late Antiquity | Sculpture
Recommended Citation
Morehead State University. Camden-Carroll Library., "Grave Stele of an Athlete" (1978). Metropolitan Museum of Art Cast Collection. 25.
https://scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/metropolitan_art_collection/25
Comments
A stele is an upright stone or wooden slab used as a grave maker by the ancient Greeks. The Morehead plaster cast was made from an original Greek stele c. 480-450 BCE found on the island of Nisyros near Türkiye and now housed in the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. It depicts a young man, and it may be surprising for us today to see this gentleman in the nude. In Ancient Greece, however, nude depictions of men were typical for athletes—who competed in the nude. Gods and warriors were also often depicted in nudity, even if warriors did not actually battle naked! This is a convention in Greek art known as heroic nudity, to celebrate the perfection of the human form, which for the ancient Greeks was perfectly embodied in the male form. The Greeks valued a muscled body because there was a connection between Greek citizenship and military service and so a well-conditioned body served the state. The original stele would have been painted to help increase the naturalism of the human form.
While it is not certain who the young man in the Morehead cast was, the presence of the spear in his left arm points either to a warrior or an athlete. If it depicts an athlete, it is possible that the man may have competed in the Olympic Games, where athletes competed nude. The first Olympic Games were established in ancient Greece in the eighth century BCE.
Brittany Rancour, “Grave Stele of an Athlete, Metropolitan Museum of Art Cast Collection at Morehead State University,” May 2026.