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| Wrestling boys tomb of Ptahhotep, Saqqara Fifth Dynasty |
Two thousand years before the
first Olympic games were held in ancient Greece, sports played a significant social
and political role. Judging from a huge amount of sources it is obvious that
both kings and commoners enjoyed various athletic activities. The sources from Egypt document the existence of three kinds of combat sports : wrestling , stick fighting and boxing
Of all the Egyptian sports
disciplines, wrestling has the best visual documentation. The first depiction
of wrestling occurs on the so-called cities palette from the time of the
kingdoms. Here the wrestling pair is obviously utilized as a hieroglyphic. The
six snapshots of a wrestling match from the tomb of Ptahhotep (Fifth Dynasty)
are complete free of any emblematic character. Ptahhoteps son Achethotep who
shares the tomb with his father, fights as youth against a friend his own age.
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| Wrestling scene, tomb of Baqti III , Bani Hassan no 15, east wall |
By far the greatest number of
wrestling scenes come from the Middle Kingdom. Outstanding among these are the
scenes from the tombs of the princes of the Antelope District in Middle Egypt
(in Bani Hassan). In the tomb of Baqti III the wrestling scenes are painted
across the east wall. The action of the wrestlers can be followed easily by the
color scheme. The wrestlers are stripped except for their belts. The sequence
of the wrestling begins with the placement of this bit of equipment that often
belongs to the sport of wrestling. The next scenes picture the exploratory
moves and the first attempts at a hold. Swings and throws follow in the swift
alternation with positions on the ground. The scenes which follow swiftly one
after the other, are like a cinematographic reproduction of a sequence of
movements that can be divided into five individual phases. One might well
consider them impressions of a wrestling match.
Despite the number and variety of
Beni Hassan wrestling scenes , information on the rules continues to elude us.
Specifically, we lack a clear indication of the rules for determining victory
and defeat.
During the New Kingdom, the
custom of naked wrestling, dominant mode at Beni Hassan, was abandoned. Except
for those figures scratched upon shards, wrestlers were always clothed with a
short skirt of the sort worn principally by soldiers. Also new was the arrival
on the scene of an ethnic group associated with wrestling even till the
present. Nubian soldiers seemed simply predestined for this sport because of
their commanding physiques. In the New
Kingdom, wrestling matches were a part of the program for such ceremonies as
the pherohs acceptance of tribute from
the Sudan. While there can be no doubt that wrestling matches in the presence
of the reigning monarch were staged on festive occasions, we can not exclude
the possibility that wrestling matches also occurred to honor deceased royalty.
In the tomb of Amenmose (19th Dynasty) these contests stand in close
connection with the statue-shrine of the defied Tuthmosis III.
2 Comments
Two thousand years before the primary Olympic game Wrestling Equipment control in ancient Hellenic Republic, sports compete a big social and political role. judgement from an enormous quantity of sources it's obvious that each kings and commoners enjoyed numerous athletic activities. The sources from Egypt document the existence of 3 sorts of combat sports : wrestling , stick fighting and boxing
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Very interesting! The Nubians were built for wrestling. I've seen many images of Nubian wrestlers, some with black skin tone and others with reddish skin tone. Sometimes the images suggest that the opponents were matched from these two groups, yet all were Nubians.
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