Ancient Egypt Sports, the facts and history of the games of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs,Best sports in the Pharaonic civilization.

 Sports among the ancient Egyptians

photo via ootlah

Sport has been and still is an important aspect of life in Egyptian society. And it will not come as a surprise to those who know the pharaonic history and that the pharaohs were among the pioneers who preceded many peoples in various fields to know that many of the sports that are practiced at the present time date back to the ancient Egyptians and the picture painted on the walls of tombs and temples that have been discovered In Egypt, it is the biggest evidence of this, as according to the inscriptions that were found, the ancient Egyptians practiced wrestling, weightlifting, swimming, fishing, rowing, athletics, archery, boxing, high jump and various types of ball games and other sports activities. . 

The activities were not limited to practice only, but also to reach the highest levels in sports by organizing local and international festivals in multiple games and these festivals were attended by the best players from other countries, and prizes were presented to the winners in order to encourage the players and the competitions were administered by international judges and locals from Asia and Africa. 

In addition, many of the laws that we use today in sports activities are mainly based on the laws that he practiced.

gymnastics

(Ground Training) (Dynasty 91) (6031-6811 BC)

This picture dates back to 2000 BC and shows a gymnastic movement where the body is bent back until the hand touches the ground, which shows the extent of flexibility that this body enjoys and this exercise is one of the most exercises being practiced today.

photo via pinngym

swimming

Swimming was the favorite sport of the ancient Egyptians who used the Nile River to practice it. And the Nile River was not the only place where competitions were held, as the nobles' palaces contained swimming pools where princes could learn the game. The calm waters of the Nile River encouraged the youth to hold swimming competitions to show their skill.

Boxing

 Some ancient Egyptian pictures of boxing are found in the tomb of "Mari Ra" in Minya Governorate and in the tomb of "Ptahhotep" in Saqqara. This image shows a player in a position of readiness to direct his strikes with his fist towards the other player, who in turn is trying to block these strikes.

Hockey

The ancient Egyptians played a game similar to the hockey game that is played at the present time. The inscriptions and drawings found in tombs in Beni Suef (Minya Governorate) show players carrying a paddle made of palm branches with a twisted end that resembles a hockey bat. 

The ball they used was made of strings Papyrus covered with two pieces of leather in the form of a semi-circle and this ball was colored with two or more colors.

Rowing

Rowing was one of the sports that required high physical strength on the part of the ancient Egyptians. As the picture shows, a rowing team relies on homogeneity in their rowing according to the instructions of their captain who takes the helm. 

And this captain was controlling the team through a specific call to standardize the time when the oars touched the surface of the water, which helped push the boat forward in a more stable and flexible way, a method still used in the sport of rowing today.

Detail from a wall decoration in the Mortuary Temple of the female Pharaoh, Hatshepsut (1507-1458 BC). This is rowing, not paddling, the oar on the right is clearly shown in a rowlock.

Boatmen on the Nile, from the Tomb of Sennefer, a nobleman who ruled Thebes (Luxor) c. 1400 BC. The artist shows the oarsmen rowing while the sail is unfurled – though this seems an unlikely thing to do. A sailing boat was the hieroglyph for travelling south, while a boat without a sail was the hieroglyph for travelling north.

Handball

There are drawings of this game in the tombs of Saqqara five thousand years ago. The ball was made of leather that was stuffed with plant fibers and straw, or it was made of papyrus in order to be lighter and more bearable. 

This picture shows four girls playing handball, and this picture proves that women in the ancient Egyptian society used to play sports just like men, which is something Olympic thought seeks to achieve and encourage at the present time.

Javelin

Javelin throwing during the Pharaonic era was initially related to hunting. The length of the spear varied according to the type of prey. This image shows the player in a position to throw the javelin.

photo Via touregypt

Gymnastics (cascading jump)

This picture shows gymnasts from the ancient Egyptians performing a successive jump without touching the ground with their heads as they perform more than one complete turn in the air, and at the end of the training the players stand straight, which is one of the basic rules of floor exercises that are applied in the Olympic Games at the time Present.

Fishing

Fishing was one of the sports practiced by kings, princes and commoners and there are many pictures of fishing as a hobby in the tombs. In the Egyptian Museum there are many types of fishing rod and hook that were used for hunting, which shows the extent of the progress of this sport in ancient Egypt.

Weight lifting

Weightlifting was one of the games the ancient Egyptians knew, and trying to lift a bag of sand with one hand (jerk lift) and keeping this bag high in a semi-straight position was one of the ways to lift weights. The player had to remain in this position for a short period, which is one of the rules of the game of weightlifting that is still applied today.

Riding horses

Equestrianism moved from the world of war and war chariots to the world of sports and chasing wild animals. The ancient Egyptians held horse races among young people who were able to stay on horses and control them without a saddle as shown in the picture.

High jump

The ancient Egyptians practiced field and track sports such as the high jump, as shown in this picture.

Bow and arrow

The game of the bow and arrow was one of the sports known to the ancient Egyptians and was often recorded on the walls of temples. These pictures show the skill of kings and princes in hitting the target accurately, as well as their strength in pulling the bow.

Tug of war game

This is an ancient Egyptian game in which two players compete in tug-of-war, where each contestant attaches a stick with a hook to obstruct the other player and prevent him from snatching the hoop. This game requires sharp physical maneuvering and strong observation.

Marathons 

Running races were one of the most important races for the ancient Egyptians, especially during the celebrations for the accession of a new king to rule. One of the rituals of these celebrations was the establishment of a race for the king in which he would run around the temples in front of the spectators to show his physical strength and ability to rule using his physical and mental abilities together. History records that the pharaoh and those born with him on the same day participate in fierce running races.

Equilibrium

This picture shows the balance of players facing each other standing on the heels of their feet with their bodies stretched in an inclined position while holding the hands of other players. The four players rotate while maintaining their position in perfect balance and coordination of movement.

Tug of war

This picture, which is found in Marorica Cemetery, shows teams standing in two opposite rows, in which the first player from each team holds the other's hand and pulls each other back, while the rest of the members of each team hold each other firmly in the middle while trying to pull the other team back.

Fencing

The sword fencing game is an Egyptian game. In the picture, two swordsmen are shown holding weapons covered at the tip and wearing masks to protect the face very similar to modern masks.

At Last Girls doing sports:

 Playing with ball was well-known, and the ancient Egyptians invented handball and played handball. For the first time in human history, girls were allowed to play sports. The many scenes of this game appeared on the walls of the “Bani Hassan” tombs in Minya, a girl appeared on the back of her colleague, and then they threw a third Small balls in rapid successive movements.

There are drawings of this game in the tombs of Saqqara five thousand years ago, and the ball was made of leather that was stuffed with plant fibers and straw, or it was from the papyrus plant in order to be lighter and more bearable, and this picture shows four girls practicing handball, and this picture proves that the woman in Ancient Egyptian society was practicing sports just like men.

Photo via mentalitch