Sporting competitions have become very important in our lives today. The ideas and customs of these sporting competitions can be connected back to different ancient civilizations.
Sports were practiced and watched as early as the Mesopotamian civilization. Around 3000 B.C.E., the Mesopotamian civilization had public sport performances similar to modern boxing and wrestling (Kyle 26). Figure 1 is a stone craving from 3000 B.C.E. that shows Mesopotamian boxing. Wrestling is the most widely depicted sport in Mesopotamian texts and artwork. The most famous literary image of the wrestler in Mesopotamia was in “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” which describes a wrestling match between Gilgamesh, the King of Uruk, and Enkidu. Gilgamesh and Enkidu “were
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The evidence for Egyptian sport comes mostly from hieroglyphics and wall paintings in the tombs of kings and temple monuments. The inscriptions on monuments indicate that they practiced wrestling, weightlifting, long jump, swimming, rowing, shooting, fishing and various kinds of ball games (Kyle 30). The pharaohs were believed to be living gods and were expected to demonstrate their physical skills through running (Kyle 30). The pharaoh runs shows endurance and takes place 30 years into their reign (Kyle 31). Hunting in Egypt began as a way to provide food, but turned into a competition to show superiority. The king hunted big wild animals to show his ability to uphold the order and stability (maat) of Egyptian civilization (Bloch 500). Archery was a well-known sport in Ancient Egypt and was often recorded on plates in ancient temples. Figure 3 shows an example of ancient Egyptians practicing archery. This sport demonstrated one’s skill in accurate aiming at the target and their strength in pulling the bow. Archery competitions were very common in ancient …show more content…
The city-states were often at war with one another, and soldiers needed to stay in shape. Athletic competitions were also a way to worship the gods. The athletes paid tribute to the gods by showing how strong or fast they were (Graff 10). These competitions were part of four major religious festivals that attracted athletes from all over Greece. These festivals were called the Pan-Hellenic games (Bloch 510). The games include Olympic, Pythian, Isthmian, and Nemean festivals. Around 500 B.C.E, the Olympics were the most important of the Pan-Hellenic festivals (Bloch 510). The Olympics were held in the Olympia stadium. Figure 5 shows the ruins of the
Since 776 BCE, the Olympics have been a way for people of different cultures to come together and compete in friendly competition. In 1892 the first modern Olympics were held in Athens, although it had been over a thousand years since the last game it still had brought together an assortment of different religions and ethnic groups together. Many factors shaping the Olympic Games reflect the changes that have taken place in our world since the last game in 393 CE in Greece such changes include woman’s suffrage, global economy, world wars, and proving competency.
Athletic events at this time were also closely related to the religious beliefs and practices of the Greek citizens. Each competition was devoted to a specific pagan god. For example, the patron of the Olympics was Zeus. The Greeks believed that the physical strength and ability of athletes was a direct gift from the gods (http://www.meiaconcerto.com/olympic/olympia/ideal_o.php, September 27, 2004). Therefore, each athlete competed not only in honor of his city-state, but also in honor of the gods.
“It is universally accepted that 776 B.C. was the year the festival at Olympia, in honor of Zeus, became known as the Olympics, and the period of four years between celebrations became an Olympiad (Zimmerman 1984).” Yet the precise circumstances surrounding the creation of the ancient Olympics are still shrouded in mystery. Several myths encompassin...
The Greeks expressed their respect for their gods through sacred acts, primarily festivals and rituals. The festivals were held to honor certain deities such as the Olympic Games, an event held for athletes meant to honor the god Zeus. The Greeks were ritualistic, participating in actions and sayings as part of religious worship; they had practices for the birth of a baby, the coming of age of young children, the death of a family member, and many more (Buxton 322). The temples found at the center of the polis, the acropolis, were made as earthen dwellings for the gods, a place for storage of sacred objects and offerings, and also served out tasks for the polis such as keeping records.
This culture which had a deep importance for both the ancient and current world, was called the Panhellenic culture and spread throughout the Mediterranean world. For centuries, Greece represented the height of art and knowledge and knowing the Greek language was considered a crucial trait of education. The Panhellenic culture arose during the Classical period and during this time the normally warring city-states would temporarily put their feuds on hold and gather in the city of Olympia to hold a series of athletic competitions to honor the gods. These Panhellenic games are still practiced today as the Olympics (Acrobatiq,
Historians. In 300 BC all time was dated by Olympiads, a time span of four years
Modern Day Olympics are a huge tradition that sweeps the screens of televisions across the world. Competitors take the arena with uniforms that dawn their countries colors and designs that are meant to resemble their designated flag. For months the news is centered around the games; the preparation, the athletes, and of course the competition. Countries aren 't obsessed, they are inspired and full of pride seeing athletes from their country compete and show their incredible skill. This tradition dates back to ancient Greece where the games began. Tony Perrottet writes about the traditions of the ancient game in his book The Naked Olympics.
The Ancient Greek Olympics were not only sporting events, it was a celebration to honor the great and powerful Zeus. The Ancient Olympics were held every four years at the famous Olympia, a district of Elis, here all free Greek men were allowed to compete. The first record of the Olympic Games was held in 776 B.C. The main sports were the Pentathlon, the Equestrian Events, Pankration, and Boxing.
Folkstyle is mainly wrestled in College, High School and Middle School Events, although some kids practice and participate in elementary school. Folkstyle has a rich heritage going back to the beginning days of the United States and has touched every part of American life. The first real traces of the development of wrestling date back to Sumerians over 5,000 years ago. The Epic of Gilgamesh written in cuneiform, the sculptures and low beliefs, are numerous sources that reveal the first referred competitions, accompanied by music. There are also many historical and archaeological traces of wrestling in Ancient Egypt.
The Olympic Games were started by the Greeks a long time ago. It was in the honor of Zeus, the kings of the gods and were part of a religious festivals. They started in 776 B.C. The games were held every four years in Olympia, which is located in southeast Greece. People came from all around Greece to take part or just watch the games. Events in the Ancient Olympic Games were boxing, chariot racing, riding, pentathlon, discus, javelin, jump, running, and wrestling. Events in modern Olympic Games are swimming, diving,
Ancient Egypt was a very important time in our time period. They had their own way of life. Egyptians had their own writing, burials, government, religion, cooking, and games. They were educated people with many talents. They were good with their hands and brains. Ancient Egyptians were a magnificent race of people.
Sports throughout history have shown close ties and relations to values and cultures of a society. Sports and competition have adapted and grown as the world and people have grown and developed. Sports are often seen as simple consequence of the industrial revolution. The Impact of increased urbanization, better communication and transportation, as well as more time and income for specialization, all led to the creation of sports. (szymanski). In essence As the public sphere grew so did the concept of sport. (Szymanski). Even the impact colonization had on spreading sports, shows the congruence between the development of society and development of modern sports. What make sports very unique is that they always bring about a sense of culture
Ancient Olympics The ancient Olympics had some differences from the modern Games. There were fewer events, and only free men who spoke Greek could compete, instead of athletes from any country. Women where not allowed to even watch the games on penalty of death let alone play in them.. Also, the games were always held at Olympia in Greece instead of being moved around to different sites every time. But also they had some similarities to our modern Olympics, winning athletes were heroes who put their home towns on the map, and became financially sound for life. The conflict between the Olympic's ideals of sportsmanship and unity and the commercialism and political acts which accompany the Games where also present in ancient times. "Sotades at the ninety-ninth Festival was victorious in the long race and proclaimed a Cretan, as in fact he was. But at the next Festival he made himself an Ephesian, being bribed to do so by the Ephesian people. For this act he was banished by the Cretans."
Egyptian Art and Architecture, the buildings, paintings, sculpture, and allied arts of ancient Egypt, from prehistoric times to its conquest by the Romans in 30 bc. Egypt had the longest unified history of any civilization in the ancient Mediterranean, extending with few interruptions from about 3000 bc to the 4th century ad. The nature of the country, fertilized and united by the Nile, and its semi-isolation from outside cultural influences, produced an artistic style that changed little during this long period. Art in all its forms was devoted principally to the service of the pharaoh, who was considered a god on Earth, to the state, and to religion. From early times a belief in a life after death dictated that the dead be buried with material goods to their ensure well-being for eternity. The regular patterns of nature—the annual flooding of the Nile, the cycle of the seasons, and the progress of the Sun that brought day and night—were considered gifts from the gods to the people of Egypt. Egyptian thought, morality, and culture were rooted in a deep respect for order and balance. Change and novelty were not considered important in themselves; thus the style and representational conventions in Egyptian art that were established early in the development of that civilization continued virtually unchanged for more than 3,000 years. To the modern eye the Egyptian artistic idiom may seem stiff and static; its underlying intention, however, was not to create an image of things as they appear in reality, but rather to capture the essence of a person, animal, or object for eternity.
In a city in southwestern Greece, called Olympia, is the birthplace of the Olympic games. Created to offer thanksgiving and honor to Zeus, chief god, the first record of the Olympics dates back to 776 bc and the event occurs every four years thereafter. The first day of the festival was devoted to non-human sacrifices as praise to the gods. Speeches from famous philosophers , poetry readings parades, and banquets were also held before the games begun.