Boxing and Marathon in Ancient Egypt
Introduction
Illustrations that appear on the walls of tombs and the monuments reveal that several sports that are played today existed during the ancient Egyptian period. Sports that were practiced in the ancient Egypt include long jump, wrestling, weightlifting, athletics, boxing, and some few ball games. The sports were taken seriously because kings and princes who ruled during this era had a lot of interest in attending the competitions. The sports were funded and hosted with authority of the rulers. In the ancient Egypt, there were rules, which were put in place like the choosing of a neutral referee, giving the players uniform, and awarding of players who won; the rules that were set aside to promote sports.
It is worth pointing out that the scenes on the walls and the pyramids showed that the ancient Egyptians knew how to keep themselves physically fit and healthy hence sports played a significant role in their daily life and culture. It was clear from the scenes that were being portrayed on the pyramids that were uncovered by archeologists and scholars showing the details about the ancient sports practices in Egypt a thousand years ago. Among these games, the Egyptians had their versions of different games, for instance, field hockey was played using pieces of palm trees; they played tug of war to keep their strengths. All the sporting events were treated with importance since they were also part of the coronation ceremonies of their pharaohs.
Boxing in the ancient Egypt
The practice of boxing where two men involve themselves in a competition to see who can withstand punches from his opponents started all the way back from the ancient Egypt. It is connected with the earliest civilizations; this makes it being one of the oldest sports of this type in the history of fighting. In the beginning, this type of sports did not have a lot of rules; in fact, it was one of the simplest, which could be played even by uncivilized people. After some time, a lot of men involved themselves in this contest and with time it developed into sport. The physical evidence of boxing was noticed among the Sumerians. In the ancient Egypt, boxing rules were different from the boxing that we know today. There were some rules, which are different from the modern day boxing. For instance, in the ancient Egypt, there were no rounds like the current situation. Instead, the boxers could fight until one man was knocked out or he agrees that he had been defeated. There were no rules that were stopping a boxer from hitting an opponent when he was down. Instead, the fight could continue up to that moment the loser surrenders. Another thing about the ancient boxing is that there were no weight categories, but the opponents were being chosen randomly. In the beginning, the boxers were fighting using bare fists without anything to cover their hands, but later, they wrapped their hands with thongs, which were made of leather instead of gloves like the ones that are being used nowadays. The leather thongs did not cover their hands and wrists fully. Instead, their fingers were left free as it was meant to protect their hands.
Ancient rules restricted boxers from using other forms of attack other than punching. Other forms of attack like grappling or biting were not allowed. The object of the competition was either to knock out the opponent or to force him to raise his index finger as a sign that he has conceded defeat. The fight was in a soft dirt pit with the referee carrying a switch to punish any fighter who broke any rule or stepped out of the line. Despite the fact that these contests were brutal, boxers were still required to undergo high levels of training to gain skills and the courage to make it on the scene of boxing in the ancient Egypt. In many occasions, the pharaohs and their heirs would attend the events and cheer the bloody exhibitions. Unlike boxing of today, the ancient boxing did not entail taunting between boxers. Instead, it was focused majorly on the actual fight. Boxing was a popular form of entertainment. Drawings in caves show that people would gather around to watch boxers take on each other.
Marathon in the ancient Egypt
Marathon is a form of long distance running competition. It was named after a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens delivered a victory message before collapsing. It later became one of the Olympic events. The only difference is that in the ancient Egypt long distance running was meant to be used to test somebody’s physical strength and endurance. For this reason, it was not very popular among common citizens in the ancient Egypt as compared to other sports. It only became popular because it was practiced during celebrations specifically when a new Pharaoh was being crowned. There were several records that were kept in the ancient Egypt that proved the significance of Marathons in the coronation festivities. It was used to mark the assumptions of powers of the new pharaohs. Marathons were held to signify the physical strengths, the mental ability, and the pharaoh’s ability to rule the Egyptians through the use of his bodily ability and his mental capabilities. New pharaohs and their age mates were expected to participate in Marathons. The race was viewed as a ritual practice so the pharaoh and his age mates were to run around the temple as a show of their physical strength and endurance that was expected of a leader.
In conclusion, some of the modern sporting events can be traced back to the ancient Egypt. The paintings and drawings that are in tombs, temples, and the pyramids prove that they had a great significance to the people back as they have now. Broadly speaking, the variety of these events range from the ones focused on health and entertainment to rituals. The difference from the modern sporting events and games from the ancient Egypt is that the rules and their significance have changed. For instance, marathons back then were used to determine the strength and capability of new pharaohs, but now they are used purely for entertainment. Another big difference is that most sports during those days were only watched by the people from a particular community or area, for instance, the Egyptians could not participate in sporting events in Greece. Another thing that makes the modern sports popular unlike the ancient days is the use of media coverage. Thus, today’s sports are used to connect people from every corner of the world.