Neolithic Sports

Welcome Back to Athletic Anthropology. I am excited to talk to you today about some early sports from the neolithic era. These are some of the earlist recorded sports that have been detailed on the walls of caves nestled into the barren deserts and hidden in canyons. I am also excited to tell you that this blog post is an excerpt of an upcoming book that I hope to publish on the role of sports throughout history and the present day. My goal will be to detail how sports have helped further social and political efforts and as a result made a lasting impact on peoples lives. I hope you enjoy!

Inside the Cave of Swimmers, named for the more than 20 human figures illustrated on the wall of the sandy cave in Egypt’s Gilf Kebir Plateau, are some of the earliest visual records of humans participating in sports. These nearly 8,000 year-old drawings display two figures, depicted in brownish-red paint, swimming on the limestone walls. Similarly, on the walls of a cave in South France are depictions of figures engaging in a wrestling match dating back 5,000 years to 3,000 BCE. Few activities have had such a long-lasting and monumental role in society than sports and competition. Before humans began recording written language, organizing themselves into empires, and crafting items from bronze and other metals, they engaged each other in sport. The participation in sport during these prehistoric times was not limited to just the peoples of the Middle East and Europe but spanned across the globe. Throughout the Neolithic period, sports began to develop as humans moved away from their nomadic roots and explored ways to use their time with the improvement of agriculture. Paintings found in South-Western Mongolia show figures wrestling in front of a crowd. Sport during the Neolithic period was not limited to just entertainment but began to incorporate aspects of culture. Japanese sumo-wrestling cave paintings from prehistoric times highlight how sports quickly became intertwined with cultural rituals, as the sport was performed with agricultural festivities. These rituals helped to build the sport's popularity and engrain sumo wrestling into the traditions of Japan.

While sports may seem like an insignificant aspect of life, their deep-rooted position within human societies throughout history can reveal important details about human nature and our experiences. Sports are increasingly present in society, from the massive stages of the Olympics, SuperBowl, and World Cup to pickup basketball and soccer games in driveways, streets, and parks. Sports and competitions combination of economics, medicine, media, and emotion as well as numerous other fields of knowledge influence the lives of people of different social standing, genders, ages, and races. Sports have the power to create solidarity and overcome differences within the population as the minimal physical prerequisites to partake in the competition are shared by almost all humans. Thus, the study of sport can help shine a light on its often universal impact on cultures.