north2alaska
Active Member
Forgive me if that has been discussed before. In doing some quick research for a story I'm writing I came across an interesting archaeological and anthropological study. Apologies if this isn't the right discussion board.
You and I are probably used to Russel Crowe's Gladiator-esque fighters - rippling muscles and the image of human perfection.
But reality does not seem to be the same. According to a study of 2,000 year old remains from a group of medical anthropologists at the Medical University of Vienna
The evidence suggests gladiators carbo-loaded. They ate a diet high in carbohydrates, such as barley and beans, and low in animal proteins. Their meals looked nothing like the paleo or meat-and-fish centric diets now associated with elite warriors and athletes. The layer of fat allowed them to withstand injuries better, as their organs and nerve endings would be protected and they also would bleed more from superficial injuries without needing medical attention right away.
The proposed reason that they were often depicted as muscle bound gods was because they were vain and wanted to make up for less than ideal body forms in the real world by running everyone through "photoshop" in the arts.
Thought this was interesting and worth sharing.
Sources:
Gladiator Diets Were Carb-Heavy, Fattening, and Mostly Vegetarian
Ancient Worlds News - Roman gladiators were fat vegetarians - 05/04/2004
You and I are probably used to Russel Crowe's Gladiator-esque fighters - rippling muscles and the image of human perfection.
But reality does not seem to be the same. According to a study of 2,000 year old remains from a group of medical anthropologists at the Medical University of Vienna
The evidence suggests gladiators carbo-loaded. They ate a diet high in carbohydrates, such as barley and beans, and low in animal proteins. Their meals looked nothing like the paleo or meat-and-fish centric diets now associated with elite warriors and athletes. The layer of fat allowed them to withstand injuries better, as their organs and nerve endings would be protected and they also would bleed more from superficial injuries without needing medical attention right away.
The proposed reason that they were often depicted as muscle bound gods was because they were vain and wanted to make up for less than ideal body forms in the real world by running everyone through "photoshop" in the arts.
Thought this was interesting and worth sharing.
Sources:
Gladiator Diets Were Carb-Heavy, Fattening, and Mostly Vegetarian
Ancient Worlds News - Roman gladiators were fat vegetarians - 05/04/2004
