Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Creating a Box-Cavity Defect Model in the Cortical Bone of Rat Femora
Published on: November 21, 2023
Deformity in the "Boxing Boys"
Susan Ferrence1, Gordon Bendersky
1Department of Art History, Temple University, USA. sferremc@temple.edu
Abstract:
The late Bronze Age wall painting the Boxing Boys (c. 17th-16th century BCE) was excavated in the ancient town of Akrotiri on the Greek island of Thera. This article considers a medical interpretation for the spinal-pelvic anomaly in the anatomy of one of the boys. The artist has depicted a combination of structural anatomical adjustments diagnostic of spondylolisthesis, a forward slippage of one of the lumbar vertebrae. The accurate portrayal of the surface appearance of this condition suggests that the artist painted directly from a live subject. Thus, the Boxing Boys mural may be the earliest visual record of a sports-induced injury. Although the meaning of the wall paintings is unclear, the wild goats (agrimia) on the adjoining walls simulate swayback as a reflection of the boy's torso deformity and share other features with the boxers, adding to the unifying characteristics of the room. The abnormal morphology appears to be the earliest achievement of transforming disease into aesthetic charm on a monumental scale.
Related Concept Videos
Deformation of Member under Multiple Loadings
In the case of a member with a variable cross-section, the strain is not constant but depends on the position. The deformation of an...
Deformation in a Circular Shaft
Deformations in a Symmetric Member in Bending
When the member is segmented into tiny cubic elements, it is observed that the primary stress...
Deformation of a Beam under Transverse Loading
The insights from the bending moment diagram extend to...
Plastic Deformation in Circular Shafts
Plastic Deformations of Members with a Single Plane of Symmetry
