6 Misconceptions About Ancient Greece

The Winged Victory of Samothrace, the Venus de Milo, Hermes of Olympia—when you think of the most famous Ancient Greek sculptures in the world, you immediately think of smooth, white stone carved to stunning realism.

But the only reason these sculptures appear that way to us is because time has worn away the brightly painted details that many once had. That’s right—Ancient Greek statues were originally colorful, some would even say garish.

We know about the colorful past of ancient Greek sculptures because archaeological digs have revealed statues with remnants of pigment still clinging to them. But you don’t have to be present at an excavation to see the evidence—according to classical archaeologist Vinzenz Brinkmann, some paint is still visible to the naked eye if you pay close enough attention, especially in cracks and crevices. And surprisingly, we have been aware of the painted statues, officially called “polychromy,” for centuries.

Perfectly white statues isn’t the only thing people get wrong about Ancient Greece. In this episode of Misconceptions, host Justin Dodd breaks down some more myths you might be curious to know, from Pandora and her box to the seven wonders of the ancient world.

You can watch the full episode above, and don’t forget to subscribe to Mental Floss on YouTube for new videos every week.

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