Laughing and shouting, a crowd of boys gathered to
watch the handball game that was stirring up dust on the otherwise peaceful
afternoon. Encouraged by their
audience, they scrambled onto each other’s shoulders and lunged wildly to hit
the ball. The competition was
heated. Which team would win?
Tug-o-War
Handball
Other Sports
How Do We Know That?
Ancient Egyptian children enjoyed team sports and other physical activities. They were encouraged to keep fit and lean by playing. In many cases, games that were popular in ancient Egypt are still being played in some form today.
Tug-o-War
The ancient Egyptians were very fond of a game called Tug-o-War.
This game began with the contestants forming two teams.
The teams lined up and faced each other.
The first person in each line would clasp hands with the first person in
line on the opposite team. The
contestants behind the first two players would tightly hold the waist of the
person in front of them. Then,
they would pull fiercely. The team
that lost their footing lost the game.
Handball
Handball was another popular sport in ancient Egypt.
To play this game, the contestants formed two teams.
Each team had a leather or papyrus ball.
The teams would both throw their balls at the same time, catching them
and then throwing them back. Handball
was unique, though, because the players could either run or climb onto each
other’s shoulders to catch high balls.
Other Sports
In addition to Tug-o-War and handball, the ancient Egyptians also enjoyed
playing an early form of hockey. They
used the nearby Nile River, too, to hold swimming competitions.
Boxing and marathon running were also common sports.
How Do We Know That?
Sports were important enough to the ancient Egyptians to be depicted in
their tombs. Five thousand years
ago, drawings of people playing handball were included in the building of the
Saqqara tombs.
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