It’s been recently announced that the recreation of the Canon of Polykleitos has now been completed. The sculpture has been brought back to life 2,000 years after the original.
The Sculpture Now Has a Permanent Home
The Canon of Polykleitos can be found inside the Palestra Grande. The work is based on the last-known surviving copies of the original Greek version, which was created in the fifth century. The sculpture has since been lost, but artistic interpretations have made it possible to recreate it using modern materials. Polykleitos was one of the most influential sculptors in ancient Greece.
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The sculpture portrays a muscular man that was entirely based on his own calculations of what an ideal proportion should be. The sculpture became admired to the point that Romans reproduced it in marble, which became a solid influence for Renaissance artists who looked to the ancient world to try and gain understanding of movement, anatomy, and form. Pompeii’s recreation has been cast in bronze, using the lost-wax method.
This is the same method used by Greek and Roman metalworkers. The statue’s body was based on a marble copy discovered in Pompeii during the 19th century. The head was modelled on a bronze bust, recovered from Herculaneum.
Even though the final figure doesn’t recreate the familiar white marble image that many associate with the sculpture, it’s still art. It’s created using darker tones, and colour has been added to the hair and body. A red streak has also been added to the lips. This reflects the process of polychromy and is a useful reminder of how what we see in museums isn’t always how ancient audiences would have seen them.
Interestingly, the reconstruction has undergone a scholarly change. For years, people believed he held a spear, but research shows that this could have been confused with Doryphoros.
The Appeal of Ancient Greece is Stronger than Ever
Ancient Greece is one of the most influential civilizations, as the myth, art and architecture all shape the way that we tell stories. National Geographic’s Lost Treasures of Ancient Greece was released in 2026 and explores the archaeological excavations as well as myths and historical sites.
Mary Beard has also helped to make the ancient world feel more relatable in Ancient Lives with Mary Beard. Ancient Greece can be seen in gaming. UK casino table games such as Age of the Gods roulette are a prime example and feature Zeus. In music, bands like Septicflesh explore ancient Greek myths, using heavy metal as a way to keep ancient stories alive, while introducing them to new audiences who might not have known about it otherwise.
Recreating lost work gives artists, historians, and visitors a clear sense of how objects might have looked in their original settings, but at the same time it also helps to challenge the idea that artifacts should be locked behind glass. By recreating them, it’s possible to give them a new lease of life while preserving historical accuracy, which is important for future generations.