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In the movies and statues, a lot of Romans and Greeks were depicted as huge hulking dudes of solid muscle, like the Spartans in 300, or the gladiators from the Spartacus tv show. I mean now days to get like that it requires a ton of specifically designed workouts and micro managing your diet. were their daily activities enough to get them like that? or are the statues and depictions highly exaggerated?
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While I dont know much about what their real bodies were like, I do know a little about Greek and Roman sculptures.
Greek sculptures were traditionally extremely idealised. Sculptors showed their skill by depicting the ideal human form, while the subjects had their image presented as a perfect version of themselves. The person depicted very well have had a body nothing like their sculpture, so they should be taken with a grain of salt.
Romans were generally less fond of idealised sculptures, going for a more "warts and all" approach, but it still occurred. The rather hilariously absurd portrait bust of the emperor Commodus as Hercules showcases this well -though his sculpture has bulging muscles, his actual body probably didn't.
While I can't speak to if Greeks and Romans had the physique in reality, I can say that their sculptures could certainly exaggerate the appearance.
thanks. i did a quick read through of Commodus' wikipedia page, and i know that the stuff there isnt super accurate, but it sounds like he had a personal trainer (who later assassinated him) and enjoyed gladiator combat (which im sure was rigged for him to win) so it's possible he had a muscular build. but he also seems like he was very full of himself.
I'm a philosopher, but I think the Platonic dialogues can be seen as largely historically accurate sources. If you read them you get a sense that most 'young' men of the upper classes would be subject to highly intense workout routines. They worked out a lot more than people do today, and in addition to that it seems like almost all of them did so. If you add to that the widespread archaeological and architectural evidence of gymnasia and huge sporting events the Greeks held (Olympic Games and other events like it), it becomes clear that while the statues might idealize their subjects in the sense that they have unblemished skin etc., it is not unfair to consider them realistic in the amount of muscle they show. Compare modern day athletes like swimmers, wrestlers, or male gymnasts and you see similar body types.