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Konstantine Panegyres, McKenzie Postdoctoral Fellow, The University of Melbourne

Guide to the classics: On The Art of Physical Exercise, a 16th century account of ancient sports and workouts

The Conversation, Pexels, The Art of Physical Exercise, by Pirro Ligorio via Wikimedia Commons

According to the World Obesity Atlas, 42% of the global population will be overweight or obese in 2025. Lack of physical activity is one of the primary causes. Experts regard this as a serious health problem and in Greco-Roman times, too, doctors thought being overweight was bad for one’s health.

The physician Rufus of Ephesus (active in the 1st and 2nd centuries AD) wrote a book called On the Slimming of Fat People. Fat people, he suggested:

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