Prehistory of the Olympic Games

Table of Contents

• Egyptian
• Minoan
• Conclusion
• Sources

Egyptian

The body of evidence for sport and game in ancient dynastic Egypt comes from tomb paintings and tomb finds, notably the tomb at Beni-Hassan, private tombs at Thebes, and the famous tomb of King Tutankhamon. The paintings on the walls of the tomb at Beni-Hassan in particular illustrate acrobatics, hop & jump, ball games, and wrestling. Although "play" is a natural aspect of human life, there is evidence for the overwhelming popularity of sport and games in the ancient Mediterranean.

In ancient Egypt, acrobats, who displayed physical agility and strength, were mainly viewed as performers. Most Egyptian acrobats were women, and they performed alone or in groups. Young Egyptian boys also participated in acrobatics, and played games with hoops.

There are 200 wrestling groups depicted on one wall of the tomb at Beni-Hassan. The wrestlers wear a loin-cloth similar to the cod-piece or loin-cloth of Minoan athletes. Although the scenes portray the various positions and "holds" involved in wrestling, the sport was practiced as part of Egyptian military training, and there is no evidence of organized competition.

Ancient Egyptians also participated in various running activities. One of the kingdom's most important festivals was the "jubilee celebration," a festival first celebrated on the 30th anniversary of the reign of Amenophis III, and celebrated continuously in three-year intervals. In the "ritual run", an integral part of the celebration, the current king would run between two sets of three semicircles, the semicircles being cosmic references to the order of the universe. Unlike later Greek footraces, however, the Egyptian king ran alone, without a competitor. Physical evidence of the "ritual run" exists at the pyramid complex of King Djoser, where one can find the ruins of the world's first sports facility, complete with the running track for the "ritual run."

Two other examples of "public sport" in ancient Egypt target archery and chariot riding. Target archers used a bow (considered both a weapon and hunting tool) to launch arrows. Ancient bows survive from the tomb of King Tutankhamon. Chariots "arrived" in the Near East during the second millennium BC. There is no evidence of chariot racing, however. Instead, charioteers were aristocrats who enjoyed the glamour and honor attached to riding a chariot, and strove to perfect the art of driving a chariot. Six chariots survive from the tomb of King Tutankhamon. There are no artistic representations of chariots, just physical remains, and the first artistic representations of chariot driving and racing are from Mycenaean art.

The Egyptians also participated in "private sport." "Private sports" included running, jumping (seldom as a discipline, rather in the context of children's games), wrestling (in pairs of competitors), stick fighting, boxing, swimming, and rowing.

Although there is little Egyptian evidence for organized, competitive games or sports, the Egyptian culture may have influenced the development of Greek games in terms of an appreciation for the athletic human body, the value of games in the context of performance.

Minoan

There is plenty of evidence for the presence of games and sport in Minoan Crete. The majority of evidence comes from artistic representation in steatite relief vases, palatial wall frescoes, engraved seals, and figurines. Several types of sport are displayed in Minoan art: bull-leaping, acrobatics, wrestling, and boxing.

The "Boxer Vase" from Hagia Triada in Crete is an excellent example of the representation of sport in Minoan art. The vase has several bands of sculptural relief depicting scenes of wrestling, bull-leaping, and boxing. The bands of the vase are divided by pillars and columns, which are characteristic of Minoan palatial architecture. It has been suggested that the scenes on the "Boxer Vase" are depicting sport scenes taking place in the palace.

Bull-leaping scenes appear in Minoan art as early as 2000 BC. Scenes with acrobats leaping or somersaulting over bulls appear on engraved seals, palatial frescoes, and ivory and bronze figurines. The scenes are likened to a circus: the acrobats are portrayed as "flying" over the backs or heads of bulls.

Boxing scenes also appear in Minoan art, though not as often as bull-leaping scenes. The boxing figures often have a clenched fist, and are sometimes shown wearing hand-coverings, ancient "boxing gloves."

There is also architectural evidence for sport in Minoan Crete. The four major Minoan Palaces (Knossos, Phaestos, Mallia, and Zakro) had theatral areas with L-shaped seating areas that could have held up to 500 spectators, and the central courts of the palaces would have been ideal for bull-leaping: the flat, rectangular area would have been separated from the spectator areas by a fence and in some palaces there is evidence for a hallway leading into the central court that could have been used for leading the bull to the site of the bull-leaping. In addition, the representation of grandstands in the famous "Grandstand Fresco" from the palace of Knossos, which depicts a group of seated women watching an event in front of them (the performers are not in the fresco), is strangely similar to the setup of the theatral areas or central courts of the palaces: there are columns as well as pillars, and the action seems to be going on outdoors.

Conclusion

Although Minoan influence on Greek sport may have been direct (through the assimilation of Cretan peoples with the Mycenaeans), the Egyptian influences may have depended on the Minoans. There is undeniable proof that the Minoans had extensive contact with Egypt (mainly in the context of trade), and the Egyptians may have influenced Minoan sport and, therefore, Greek sport as well. Although the Mycenaeans were the chronological link between the Minoans and the Greeks, there is little evidence of sport in Mycenaean society. In addition, when evaluating the cultures which contributed toward the ancient Greek appreciation of sport, one must combine the Egyptian and Minoan influences with possible Dorian influences. The Dorians, or "invaders from the north," may have added an aggressive competitive spirit to the Egyptian and Minoan appreciation of games and the human body.

Sources

Ridington, William Robbins. The Minoan-Mycenaean Background of Greek Athletics. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 1935.

Gardiner, E. Norman. Athletics of the Ancient World. Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1971.

Decker, Wolfgang. Sports and Games of Ancient Egypt. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1992.