Ancient Greeks gave culture a sporting chance

Within the enviable collection of ancient Greek art held by the National Archaeological Museum in Athens, there's a type of red-on-black container known as krater, ancient Greek clay vases typically used for mixing wine and water, as the ancient Greeks would do.

Of the thousands, if not tens of thousands of kraters held by the museum, this one, dating to the early 4th century BC, has traveled the long distance between Greece and China to show up at an exhibition focusing on ancient Greek civilization, for a distinct reason.

"The piece, by capturing on one side a specific moment inside the gymnasium, tells a story about the building of the body, which, together with the exercising of the mind, constitutes the Grecian ideal of a man," says Guan Lin, curator of the exhibition Ancient Greek Civilization — the Glory of the Aegean Sea at the Nanjing Museum in Nanjing city, East China's Jiangsu province.

With the natural red color of the clay accentuated by the black background, the picture shows three nude youths preparing to treat their bodies after physical exercise.