VOLUME 39 - NUMBER 5 - 2018

A probable case of doping in an Olympic athlete coming back from ancient Greece (V cent. B.C.)


  • Baggieri G.
  • Editorial, 272-275
  • Full text PDF

  • We present here the hypothesis of doping in an athlete coming back from the ancient Greece, dating back to V century B.C. There are some bone alterations due to the sports that he probably practiced, and that are represented on the amphorae (prices of his victories) found near his sepulchre. The skeleton shows a considerable mass and bone density. The chemical analyses performed on the bone emphasized the presence of arsenic, while the X-ray and CAT scan examinations revealed a quite big sella turcica. These two aspects might have influenced the performances of this athlete, and in the same time might have provoked his death at the age of about 30 years.

  • KEY WORDS: Sella turcica - Bone density - Arsenic - Hypophysis.