Sports in Ancient Sumer and Egypt

Welcome back to Athletic Anthropology! In this segment of our journey into the world of sports and society, we will discuss sports in 2 civilizations that are not usually mentioned when talking about ancient sports. While the ancient Greeks and Romans often get all the praise and attention in regards to athletics. Today I am excited to exhibit the athletic competitions in ancient Sumer and Egypt.

As civilizations began to develop, sports were adapted for warfare and featured in tandem with other aspects of culture. This was because conflict between peoples increased as societies advanced, leading to further investments in sports and culture. In Sumer, one of the first civilizations in the southern region of Mesopotamia, sport played a crucial role in society. Physical fitness and prowess were indicators of power, so nobles and royalty often engaged in activities such as running. In addition, wrestling was a popular activity throughout the middle east in early civilizations. Wrestling was present in the culture of the Sumerian people as they depicted the activity in statues, engraved it on stone columns, and featured it in their poems. Wrestlers, runners, and fist fighters received support from temples, highlighting how athletics were organized by governmental and religious groups. In Sumer, physical activities and performances were featured in ritualistic settings as entertainment for religious festivals. Cuneiform texts detail how the Sumerian people worshiped their gods by performing running and acrobatics rituals. Frequently these performances were accompanied by dance and music. Some were even performed in Sumerian marriage ceremonies. In Ancient Sumer, sports developed into the modern English definition since athletics were no longer primarily purposed for survival but instead reflected human expression. However, the military contexts behind many of the sports practiced at this time were still present. Wrestling and running were promoted by Sumerian nobility as they helped to maintain military forces during times of peace. Sumerian officials utilized Military runners to transport strategic information and news from city to city. 

    Using sport as a means to advance and train military forces was not unique to the people of Sumer as other ancient civilizations from 2000-1000 BCE began to develop sports in ancient Egypt, pharaohs and nobility encouraged participation in sports and hosted competitions. They provided sports equipment to create athletic spectacles that entertained other nobles. Ancient Egyptians created many sports that are similar to modern sports. For example, drawings inside the tombs at Beni Hassan depict Egyptians using palm branches to hit a leather and papyrus ball in a fashion similar to field hockey. Egyptian nobility practiced sports such as archery and javelin throwing to prepare for war and hunting. Ancient Egyptians pioneered the world of sports by introducing one of the first team sports: rowing. While the activity was initially used to transport supplies and people short distances on the Nile River, rowing eventually became a leisure activity for Egyptian nobles. Pharaoh Amenhotep II introduced the sport and used it in many campaigns. He used rowing in his attempted conquest of Nubia--a civilization located on the banks of the Nile just south of Egypt. The strategic advantage that the Nile provided led Amenhotep and other Egyptians to develop a system of calls in order to synchronize the rowers. The focus on strategy, communication, and teamwork provided by rowing helped to unify the Egyptian forces and prepare them for offensives against Nubia.  

I hope you have enjoyed our segment today! Feel free to leave a comment or question below!