Reference articles on history, science, culture and more
Encyclopedia

Bybon

Ancient Greek athlete

Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Bybon was an athlete who lived in Ancient Greece during the early 6th century BC.

The only known information of him comes from an Ancient Greek inscription bearing his name on a sandstone in Olympia, Greece. The stone which weighs 143.5 kilograms (316 lb) contains two deep notches carved out of it, forming a handle so that the stone could be used as a free weight. It reads:

ΒΥΒΟΝ ΤΕΤΕΡΕΙ ΧΕΡΙ [sic] ΥΠΕΡ ΚΕΦΑΛΑΣ ΥΠΕΡΕΒΑΛΕΤΟ ΟΦΟΛΑ
Bybon, son of Phola, has lifted me over [his] head with one hand.

Historian E. Norman Gardinier translates the word "lifted" as "threw." In regards to the athletic culture in which such a throw may have been made, he states:
"The typical athlete of the period, as we know him from the records and from the black-figured vases, was the strongman, wrestler, boxer, or pankratiast. Many stories were told of their strength. One of them, named Bybon, left behind at Olympia an interesting record. It is a block of red sandstone weighing 316 lb., and on it is inscribed the statement that he threw it over his head with one hand".

The stone is currently on display at the Archaeological Museum of Olympia.

The inscription on the stone
The inscription on the stone
Watch videos about BybonExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Bybon, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

Images, from Wikimedia Commons:

Fathomly is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Wikimedia Foundation. Spotted a problem? Tell us.