EGYPTIAN ENTERTAINMENT

From the scenes depicted on pyramids and temples it is obvious that sports were a fundamental part in the Egyptian daily life. Quite surprisingly ancient Egyptian games and sports are not that different from the games we practice and enjoy today. Many of today's sports were practiced by the Ancient Egyptians who set the rules and regulations for them.

Inscriptions on monuments indicate that the pharaoh and his people enjoy sports such as wrestling, weightlifting, long jump, swimming, rowing, shooting, fishing and athletics, as well as various kinds of ball games. This was practiced more by royalty for entertainment purposes rather than for practical means.

Drawings on monuments tell us that several thousand years ago; the Egyptians had established basic rules for games, chosen a neutral referee, a uniform for players, and a means of announcing the winners by awarding them different collars. Both winner and loser were met with ovation, the first for his superiority and the latter for his sporting spirit.

Due to the fact that Egypt was situated on the banks of the Nile River, many Egyptian sports were water related. Evidence indicates that Egyptians enjoyed such sporting events as swimming and rowing.

One of the games involved balls, and others palm trees used as bats. Those games were enjoyed by children and adults with the purpose of having entertainment and diversion. Today soccer is still being practiced and is quite popular in modern Egypt just as it was with their ancestors. They still have sports such as squash, tennis, and even golf.

In addition, ancient Egypt sports included lengthy marathons that were recorded in a number of ancient Egyptian texts. Marathons seem to have even played a part in the coronation festivities of pharaohs throughout most ancient Egyptian history.

Gymnastics: Consecutive Vault
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.

Fishing
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.

Weightlifting
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.

Rowing
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.

Swimming
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.
The calm waters of the Nile encouraged youths to hold swimming competitions in which they could show their skills.

Archery
Was a well-known sport 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.
Archery competitions were common. In the 21st century BC King Amenhotep II boasted that he pierced the middle of a thick brass target with four arrows. He then set a prize for anyone who could do the same.

Marathon
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.

Bibliography

Egypt State Information System

http://www.sis.gov.eg/