The History of Entertainment

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Since the dawn of man, entertainment has come shortly after food, water, and shelter on our list of priorities. When the first humans were hunting and gathering in the Great Rift Valley, they passed the time by communicating stories and drawing on cave walls. Not only were these the first forms of entertainment, but were also important in passing down history and cultural values. Many other forms of entertainment can be linked to other aspects of history such as sports, politics, theatre, and art. Entertainment is often the motivation behind history’s greatest spectacles. The Roman Colosseum, one of the 7 Wonders of the World, was built to host huge events that could hold thousands of spectators. Even today’s laptops, computers, and cell phones are used for amusement. But all these inventions stem from one common purpose; entertainment. Although the Ancient Egyptians built one of the most successful empires in history, the common Egyptian enjoyed entertainment just as we do today. They celebrated with banquets, acrobats and exotic dancers. Funerals were an especially important event because of the Egyptians’ belief in the significance of death and afterlife. Huge feasts marked the passing of someone’s soul into the next world. These lavish celebrations were usually reserved for the wealthy and noble. Food was served on intricately decorated cups, bowls, and plates. Three thousand year-old wine and beer jugs have been found in Egypt by archaeologists, and are believed to have been popular drinks during celebrations. Banquets also featured music and dancing. Men and women would dance and excite the crowd while musicians played harps, lyres, and lutes. Most festivities – secular and religious – amused guests with many different types... ... middle of paper ... ...d no matter how much different entertainment is today, it is only changing even more as time passes. What technology we know as “modern” right now will soon become outdated and obsolete. However, even the future’s most advanced technologies used for amusement can be traced to its original roots, even if it started as stories told by the first humans 10,000 years ago. Works Cited http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/partytime.htm http://www.cwu.edu/~robinsos/ppages/resources/Theatre_History/Theahis_2.htm http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/Olympics/ http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/roman_entertainment.htm http://www.buzzle.com/articles/entertainment-in-medieval-times.html http://www.lordsandladies.org/jousting.htm http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art39866.asp http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/122 http://www.leisureandculturedundee.com/library/lamb19thcent

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