Photos & Videos Ancient Olympics re-creation / nude athletes, etc

[blakeyelavich]

Here's my attempt at one...
https://www.lpsg.com/gallery/littleblades-david.14550141/full

Bravo!

 

[LittleBlade]

Bravo!

Well, coming from a professional photographer with an eye for a hot guy, that's just about the compliment I could get! Thank you, I'm truly flattered!

 

[blakeyelavich]

Well, coming from a professional photographer with an eye for a hot guy, that's just about the compliment I could get! Thank you, I'm truly flattered!

I didn't have to read the caption and I knew exactly who/what you were re-creating.

 

[blakeyelavich]

Visited The Met in NYC a few years back, which did an exhibit on how lifelike some statues from Greece could look. This one of a boxer is based on a real Greek Bronze. His wrists are wrapped in leather, and his foreskin is actually tied, which was seen on vase paintings, but this statue might be the only with that quirk. The coloring on this statue is speculative as the original is oxidized, although this reconstruction I must say is very flattering, definitely an ideal male. Props to whoever might have been a model thousands of years ago. The bronzes that survive tend to be more robust, mature dad types compared to the younger and leaner body types carved in marble. Chest and facial hair is totally worth representing, and another statue I've shown below rocks stubble!View attachment 161978571View attachment 161979411View attachment 161979431View attachment 161979461

Visited The Met in NYC a few years back, which did an exhibit on how lifelike some statues from Greece could look. This one of a boxer is based on a real Greek Bronze. His wrists are wrapped in leather, and his foreskin is actually tied, which was seen on vase paintings, but this statue might be the only with that quirk. The coloring on this statue is speculative as the original is oxidized, although this reconstruction I must say is very flattering, definitely an ideal male. Props to whoever might have been a model thousands of years ago. The bronzes that survive tend to be more robust, mature dad types compared to the younger and leaner body types carved in marble. Chest and facial hair is totally worth representing, and another statue I've shown below rocks stubble!View attachment 161978571View attachment 161979411View attachment 161979431View attachment 161979461

Yes these are well-known sculptures of the wrestlers and fighters of the Pankration - a no-holds-barred version of today's MFA or cage fighting. It was the highlight of the competition and always done on the final day - but (strange fact) the winner of the first and simplest competition - the footrace for "one stadia of length" (where we get the word Stadium) was who the next five days of the competitions would be named for. The footrace winner would get the ribbon and olive branch crown and for five days, the Olympics would be "his". At the final competition, the pankration, another ribbon and crown was "decreed" but that winner while popular would only have one day of glory AT the Olympics. At home all winners of all five/six competitions were now celebrities. (I say five OR six because there is a confusion if wrestling and pankration fell into the same category though they were far different events. "Standing" wrestling (the goal to throw the man to the ground and submit) was called Palé. Pankration was merely beat the shit out of the other with leather laced hands in any way possible, except eye gouging and anything deemed inappropriate by the judge AT THAT event.

 

[BCH]

The athletes tied the tip of their foreskin with a leather string to prevent norms being shattered by an erection. If the glans was visible this was shocking, much like one of us walking around with our cock hanging out the fly.

Of course I can imagine a well endowed or especially horny athlete testing the strength of that string at times. It could either get painful or literally POP a boner among the other equally nude athletes.

I read the same somewhere years ago. What intrigues me about the "string" is that it would only be necessary if you did become erect. Does that mean that they were OK with the erections as long as the glans weren't exposed? Sounds like it to me. And I also feel that the Jewish circumcision at that time was not a full cut because that would expose the glans 100%. So I hypothesize that it was a small snip of just half of a centimeter of the tip. I can't wrap my head around a religion thinking that it is God's will to cut off something that their god gave them.

 

[bondigo]

From Wikipedia…

 

[NakedBuddy]

I read the same somewhere years ago. What intrigues me about the "string" is that it would only be necessary if you did become erect. Does that mean that they were OK with the erections as long as the glans weren't exposed? Sounds like it to me. And I also feel that the Jewish circumcision at that time was not a full cut because that would expose the glans 100%. So I hypothesize that it was a small snip of just half of a centimeter of the tip. I can't wrap my head around a religion thinking that it is God's will to cut off something that their god gave them.

I took a number of classical studies courses in college. At the time, the thinking was that the string was to keep the penis from banking against the guy's balls during athletic events, since it was only during those events that the string was worn. There was no mention in our courses of the string being used to prevent erections (our professors were quite candid about this stuff - I don't think they were being bashful).

 

[LittleBlade]

From Wikipedia…
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The string would need to be pulled really tight to keep the foreskin in place - I imagine it would be quite painful.

 

[cmp3r]

Great idea for a project! Love that you're keeping it authentic by having it be Greek guys. It's a great idea to use athletes and guys who go to the gym instead of models. I think it'll make it more authentic if they're not "trained" as models.

How are you recruiting people though? No offence, but to me some of those guys that have been posted don't look like the depictions of ancient Olympians. I think they're a bit too mature (not old but not that young either) in some cases?

Anyway I immediately thought of that great Greek gym guy that I think would fit the project (see photo below).

I actually know a ton of Greek gymnasts and fighters (well through Instagram at least) that I think would look quite authentic, if you're interested and are struggling to find people.

 

[blakeyelavich]

Great idea for a project! Love that you're keeping it authentic by having it be Greek guys. It's a great idea to use athletes and guys who go to the gym instead of models. I think it'll make it more authentic if they're not "trained" as models.

How are you recruiting people though? No offence, but to me some of those guys that have been posted don't look like the depictions of ancient Olympians. I think they're a bit too mature (not old but not that young either) in some cases?

Anyway I immediately thought of that great Greek gym guy that I think would fit the project (see photo below).

I actually know a ton of Greek gymnasts and fighters (well through Instagram at least) that I think would look quite authentic, if you're interested and are struggling to find people.

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I definitely am still looking for guys. The information website is www.MenOfOlympus.com and the MODEL's subsection is OLYMPUS MODEL INFO. Or just have them write me directly. Please remember that the original Olympics were arranged to stop the in-fighting between the Greek regions at the time. The Oracle suggested a sort of collection of games and contests instead of these continuous battles that occured, and the entire region would abide by the outcome of the Olympics until the next Olympics. I say this because the Greek region stretched all the way from Albania and beyond to Turkey and beyond... so while we have in our head a "statue" of what the original Olympians looked like - that has been "handed" to us through modern media. In reality, we are talking about thousands of square kilometers of variations of people. Also as for ages, the Greek locales sent their best / biggest / most bad-ass... so age was not a factor - AND (one reason they were nude) is none could flaunt or embellish one's wealth. Even playing field all around.

 

[cmp3r]

Well I don't know them well enough to suggest it to them but I can suggest some Instagram usernames in private lol.

The Olympic Games were between Greek city states exclusively though and in a time where Greeks were founding more and more colonies around the Mediterranean and the Black Sea and the games played an important role in preserving their Hellenic identity. Greeks certainly were more spread out during that time, in fact much farther than the territories that make up Albania and Türkiye nowadays, but that's not the case anymore because of the creation of ethno states in the last two centuries or so.

Well I'm not talking about modern media though, but the depictions of ancient greek athletes shown in the images you posted too from ancient amphorae and paintings. They seem like young adults in that material and as far as I'm aware it's the best thing we have for reference. I think it's unlikely to find ancient greek paintings of athletes with receding hairlines for instance.

Then again modern perception will always affect any attempt at recreating the past. Nobody can escape that. And it's your creative project so if in your interpretation you want to use some slightly older guys or guys from France, Ukraine or Egypt for instance as there were Greek cities in the territories of those countries as well, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. This is your project- your story after all.

 

[bondigo]

 

[blakeyelavich]

Well I don't know them well enough to suggest it to them but I can suggest some Instagram usernames in private lol.

The Olympic Games were between Greek city states exclusively though and in a time where Greeks were founding more and more colonies around the Mediterranean and the Black Sea and the games played an important role in preserving their Hellenic identity. Greeks certainly were more spread out during that time, in fact much farther than the territories that make up Albania and Türkiye nowadays, but that's not the case anymore because of the creation of ethno states in the last two centuries or so.

Well I'm not talking about modern media though, but the depictions of ancient greek athletes shown in the images you posted too from ancient amphorae and paintings. They seem like young adults in that material and as far as I'm aware it's the best thing we have for reference. I think it's unlikely to find ancient greek paintings of athletes with receding hairlines for instance.

Then again modern perception will always affect any attempt at recreating the past. Nobody can escape that. And it's your creative project so if in your interpretation you want to use some slightly older guys or guys from France, Ukraine or Egypt for instance as there were Greek cities in the territories of those countries as well, I don't think there's anything wrong with that. This is your project- your story after all.

I just know I will do my best to attempt it, and I appreciate the support. And also - the images I have shown are merely their "audition shots" - taken entirely in less than an hour from meet to goodbye with each model. I just want to meet them in person, get the first time awkwardness out of the way, and ensure they are not insane. Hair and hairstyle seems to be the biggest concern for everyone across the board - and the photography I have planned is to be much more of the nuances of the competitions - the lines of the body - the dirt and oils, the details rather than a fashion show - THOUGH I do have a pair of women who ensure me their management of the hair and wigs will be better than the PBS broadcast which was clearly women's wigs of the time.

 

[cmp3r]

I think there are many interesting ways to approach this so I'm looking forward to see what you come up with.

I mentioned receding hairlines more like something that in my subjective opinion indicates a more mature man, that would be less likely to be an Olympic athlete (I mean for most sports at least). Again, this is just my opinion so feel free to disregard it if it doesn't fit your vision. A slightly anachronistic haircut would personally not take me out of the world you're creating because if the atmosphere, the emotion and the overall "look" of the models feel right and are a good representation of the ancient athletes as we know them from works of art and chronicles of their time, in my opinion it would only highlight the timelessness of the Olympic Games and the athletes participating. (I'm saying that in case you feel like the wigs aren't working later on lol)

I wish you the best and hope that the end result will be a unique piece of art that couldn't have been made without your ideas, choices, preferences and experiences that ultimately make this project truly yours.

 

[bondigo]

See Warren Cup - Wikipedia

 

[length&girth]

Don’t forget to tie your athletes’ foreskins with each using a kynodesmē.

Edit: Oh I see it’s been discussed above.

 

[blakeyelavich]

Have you considered using mainly hairy men as models in this project? I doubt that athletes in the ancient Olympics were inclined to use razors, or lasers ;-)

Actually, that is not true - they shaved ALL their body hair - sometimes a little too harshly and then oiled up before competitions. The tool is even available currently, called a GUA SHA, and it does NOT look like fun. It is about 30 inches long and was used to scrape EVERYTHING off their bodies. I've bought one but I am very scared to try it on myself or a model because the edges are NOT sharp as expected so to get these kind of results, it must truly be painful. The extensive research into this project (and then the seeking out and retrieving the objects) has been amazing. But I can understand why you would believe they did not shave "back then." Research is incredible.

 

[blakeyelavich]

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[blakeyelavich]

Actually, that is not true - they shaved ALL their body hair - sometimes a little too harshly and then oiled up before competitions. The tool is even available currently, called a GUA SHA, and it does NOT look like fun. It is about 30 inches long and was used to scrape EVERYTHING off their bodies. I've bought one but I am very scared to try it on myself or a model because the edges are NOT sharp as expected so to get these kind of results, it must truly be painful. The extensive research into this project (and then the seeking out and retrieving the objects) has been amazing. But I can understand why you would believe they did not shave "back then." Research is incredible.

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A Greek follower named Konstantinos CORRECTLY identified the object I am discussing (though very similar to the `GUA SHA' is actual called a "Stirgil" - which is what I acquired off the internet. The look and idea is the same, though there are many tools used in GUA SHA. Thank you Konstantinos.

 

[cmp3r]

I mean Gua Sha certainly didn't sound Greek lol. As far as I know, the purpose of strigils was to clean the body from sweat and grime,not for shaving off body hair. Given that the name wasn't correct, maybe this area needs a bit more research from some other sources too?

Depictions of Olympic Athletes do show them with little body hair because they were generally young. For one thing, they usually have pubic hair. As shaving is a styling choice, I think you'll find that practices varied from time to time.

Body hair will sure be tricky to pull off.
I think that's what looks a bit off to me with some of the more mature models: their complete hairlessness when you know most people have body hair at that age lol