Friday, August 10, 2012

Quick list of Ancient Egyptian Sports

This is merely an extension of the main topic, "The Coming of Age of the Olympic Games", to serve as a link, so as to economize space. For those who care to learn about the details of the iconography, here they are, following the images, which were also posted in the main topic; the material comes directly from the TourEgypt.net website:






Image captions, courtesy of TourEgypt.net - From left to right and top to bottom:

1) Ancient Egyptians played a game that is similar to our present-day hockey. Drawings on tombs at Beni Hassan in Menia Governorate show players holding bats made of long palm-tree branches, with a bent end similar to that of the hockey bat. The hockey ball was made of compressed papyrus fibers covered with two pieces of leather in the shape of a semicircle. The ball was dyed in two or more colors. This primitive "hockey" game is still practiced in the Egyptian countryside.

2) Drawings of this sport are found on the Saqqara tombs, five thousand years old. The ball was made of leather and stuffed with plant fibers or hay, or made of papyrus plants in order to be light and more durable. It was seldom used for more than one match. The painting shows four girls playing handball. Each team throws the ball to the other at the same time. Players can either be on their feet or on top of their teammates' backs while exchanging balls. 

3)This painting represents pharaonic gymnastics. The players performed consecutive vaults without touching the floor with their heads and making more than one complete turn in the air. 

4) Ancient Egyptians practiced sports in order to keep well and slim. The picture represents an equilibrium of two players opposite each other standing on their heels, their bodies stretched in a slanting position while holding hands with two other players. 

5) Javelin throwing during the Pharaonic age was first linked to hunting. Drawings show how the hunter could hit his prey by one single throw despite its speed. The javelin differed in length according to the kind of prey. The javelin is thrown upwards lightly so that it revolves in quick spins until it returns to the player to be used again. The javelin is a stick with a twisted end. The picture shows the player in a position of readiness to throw. 

6) Weightlifting was one of the sports known by the ancient Egyptians. One method of weightlifting was the attempt to lift a heavy sack of sand with one hand (clean and jerk lift) and keep it high in a quasi-vertical position. The player had to stay in that position for a short period. This is one of the rules of weightlifting applied till now.

7) One of the ancient Egyptian plates at the "Marorika tomb" shows teams standing in two opposite rows, with the first players of each row holding hands and pulling back each other while the other members of each team hold each other tightly by the waist and try to pull back the opposite team.The first contestant in the front has one foot supported by that of his opposite number. This sport is still practiced in the Egyptian countryside. 

8) This is an ancient Egyptian game in which two players compete in pulling the hoop swiftly. Each contestant fixes a hooked staff to hinder any snatch of the hoop by the other player. This game needs sharp physical maneuvers and strict observation, particularly because the hooked staff is used both to pull the hoop and support it from falling flat on the floor. 

9) Horsemanship moved from the world of wars and war-chariots to that of sports and the chasing of wild animals. Ancient Egyptians held horse races among youths. They managed to stay on horseback without saddles in full control of the horse, as seen in this picture of an ancient Egyptian horseman. 

10) Ancient Egyptians practiced field and track sports such as the high jump. Two players sat opposite each other with legs stretched, with one player's feet on top of the toes of the other. If the third player managed to jump over that barrier, the two sitting players placed their palms on top of their feet to heighten the barrier which the third player had to jump across without touching. 

11) Some ancient Egyptian scenes of boxing as a game were found in the tomb of "Mery Ra" in the Minia Governorate and in the "Ptah Hotep" tomb in Saqqara. In this picture, a player is depicted in a position ready to direct his blows with his fist to another player, who in turn, tries to repel these blows. Pharaohs and princes watched the boxing match, which indicates that it was an organized contest. 

12) Fishing was one of the sports practiced by kings, princes and commoners. There are many drawings of scenes of fishing as a hobby on the Saqqara tombs of the Old Kingdom as much as there are on the New Kingdom monuments. 

13) Rowing was one of the sports that required most physical strength on the part of the ancient Egyptian. Plates recorded team-rowing in which the players depended on harmonizing their rowing according to the directives of their leader who held the rudder. The leader also controlled their movement through a high-pitched systematic call to unify the moment when oars touched the surface of the water and that helped to push the boat forward more steadily and swiftly - a method still being adopted in rowing nowadays. 

14) Archery was a well-known sport in Ancient Egypt and was often recorded on plates in ancient temples. These plates show the kings' and princes' skill in accurate aiming at the target, and their strength in pulling the bow. 

15) The picture shows four players performing rhythmic gymnastics in different positions. The one on the left stands on one foot, stretching his two arms horizontally, and lifting one leg as high as possible to the front to help him revolve swiftly and lightly. 

16) Marathon races were of the utmost importance in ancient Egypt, particularly during celebrations marking the assumption of power of new kings. One of the rituals of these celebrations was to hold a marathon run by the king around the temples before spectators to reveal his physical strength and his ability to rule using his bodily as well as mental capabilities. History records that the Pharaoh, together with those who were born on the same day of his birth, participated in hectic marathons. No one was allowed to have a meal before covering 180 stages of his race. 

17) Swimming was the favorite sport of the ancient Egyptians, who made use of the River Nile to practice it. The Nile was not the only place for swimming contests. Noblemen's palaces had swimming pools in which princes learned the sport.

18) The ancient Egyptians invented many sports, some for entertainment, and others for keeping strong, physically fit, and slim. The picture dates back to 2000 years BC. It shows a gymnastics drill in which the body is bent backwards until the hand s touch the ground, revealing bodily flexibility. It is one of the most commonly practiced exercises today.

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