Milo of Croton

Milo Of Croton
Death of Milo of Croton in a picture by Joseph-Benoît Suvée (18th century, oil on canvas)
Born	6th century BC Croton
Died	6th century BC Croton
Occupation	Wrestler

Milo of Croton was a 6th century BC Greek wrestler. He came from the Greek city of Croton in southern Italy. He had great success as a wrestler. He won many times in the most important sports festivals of ancient Greece. He also led the people of Croton to a military victory over the neighboring city of Sybaris in 510 BC.

Milo was said to be a friend of Pythagoras. One story says the wrestler saved the philosopher's life when a roof was about to fall on him. Another story says that Milo may have married the philosopher's daughter. Like other successful athletes of ancient Greece, Milo was the subject of tales of strength and power. Among other tales, he was said to have carried a bull on his shoulders and to have burst a band about his forehead by inflating the veins of his temples.

The date of Milo's death is unknown. He was said to be splitting a tree in half when his hands became trapped in the tree. It was then that a pack of wolves surprised, killed, and ate him. Milo is the subject of works of art by Pierre Puget, Étienne-Maurice Falconet and others. In literature, Rabelais wrote about him in Gargantua and Pantagruel and Shakespeare did the same in Troilus and Cressida.