Ancient Egyptian Sports
Ancient Egyptian Sports
The Ancient Egyptians enjoyed a variety of different sports. Various
sports have been depicted in various paintings and in ancient documents providing significant
information about this subject. Sporting artefacts have also been found
in tombs. The Ancient Egyptians were also known to
enjoy competitive sports and were an exciting form of entertainment. The
winners of sports contests were rewarded with money and special
large collars known as the usekh which half covered the shoulders and
chest. Many of the competitive Ancient Egyptian sports are
still featured in the Olympic Games.
List of Ancient Egyptian Sports
The List of Ancient Egyptian
competitive sports
are as follows:
-
Archery
-
Boxing
-
Equestrian
Sports Including Chariot Racing
-
Fencing - Sword
fights using wooden swords
-
Gymnastics
-
Hockey - an
early form of this sport was played as a team sport
-
Rowing
-
Swimming
-
Weightlifting
-
Wrestling
-
Various Ball
Games
Ancient Egyptian Sports
- Athletics
The Ancient Egyptian
competitive sports extended to Athletics which included the following
events:
-
Long Jump
-
High Jump
-
Long Distance
Running
-
Spear Throwing
(Javelin)
-
Tug Of War
Ancient Egyptian Sports
and Pastimes - Hunting and Fishing
The Ancient Egyptians
enjoyed sports related activities such as hunting and fishing. Hunting
could be an extremely dangerous sport due to the wild nature of the
animals which were hunted. The Ancient Egyptians used hunting dogs to
help them capture their prey.
Sighthounds have exceptional eyesight, combined with the speed and
stamina necessary to catch the intended prey. The Pharaoh Hound
originated in ancient Egypt and was bred primarily as a sight hound to
hunt gazelle and other small game. It is no coincidence that the Pharaoh
Hound's likeness in Egyptian art so strongly resembles the Egyptian
jackal god, Anubis, the Watchdog of the Dead, in fact the Pharaoh Hound
is the oldest domesticated dog in written records, dating back to before
3,000 B.C. The animals which were hunted by the Ancient Egyptians
include the following:
-
Badger
-
Crocodile
-
Deer
-
Elephant
-
Fox
-
Gazelle
-
Giraffe
-
Hare
-
Hippopotamus
-
Hyena
-
Ibex
-
Jackal
-
Leopard
-
Lion
-
Oryx
-
Ostrich
-
Porcupine
-
Rhinoceros
-
Weasel
Although hunting was a
popular sport the hunted animals had many uses. The most obvious was to
use the meat for eating. But other uses were for their skins or
feathers. Ivory came from the tusk of the elephant and the teeth of the
hippopotamus. Some animals were taken alive to be used as offerings to
the gods. These were kept in zoos, a little known invention of the
Ancient Egyptians.
Ancient Egyptian Sports
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