Vikings: History and Legacy. History: Vikings.
Speech Research. Egypt State Information Service. Many of today’s sports were practiced by the Ancient Egyptians, who set the rules and regulations for them. Inscriptions on monuments indicate that they practiced wrestling, weightlifting, long jump, swimming, rowing, shooting, fishing and athletics, as well as various kinds of ball games. Ancient Egyptian kings, princes and statesmen were keen on attending sports competitions, which they encouraged and provided with the necessary equipment. Drawings on pharaonic monuments tell us that several thousand years ago, the Egyptians had laid down basic rules for games, chosen a neutral referee, a uniform for players, and a means of announcing the winners by awarding them different collars. Both winner and loser were met with ovation, the first for his superiority and the latter for his sporting spirit. Hockey Ancient Egyptians played a game that is similar to our present-day hockey. Handball Drawings of this sport are found on the Saqqara tombs, five thousand years old.
Archery Tug of War Fishing. Marriage in Ancient Egypt. The Wedding Day: The day of the marriage was really quite simple. The bride merely moved her belongings into the home of her husband. He might be living alone or with his parents. So what did the bride wear? She probably wore a long dress or tunic made of linen, which may have been covered from head to toe with bead-net. If she owned any gold, silver or lapis, she probably adorned herself with those, too. Even though there was no official ceremony, knowing how much the ancient Egyptians loved music, dance and food, there were bound to be family celebrations in honor of the uniting couple.
Museums are filled with statues and paintings showing husbands and wives with their arms around each other’s waists, holding hands or offering each other flowers or food. Entering into a marriage was described as 'making a wife' or 'taking a wife', but it seems that the girl's father had the main say. The Marriage Contract Most marriages had a contract drawn up between the parties. Costly. Food - Ancient Egypt. Although Egypt is a hot, desert country where the lack of water makes it difficult to grow crops and raise animals, the annual flooding of the river Nile (inundation) between the months of June and September made the Nile Valley one of the most fertile areas of the ancient world. When the river flooded, mud and silt was deposited onto the surrounding area. This soil was rich and fertile and made good farming land. The main crops grown were wheat and barley. Wheat was made into bread which was one of the main foods eaten by both rich and poor ancient Egyptians.
The picture (right) shows the bread-making process. First the grain was made into flour. Barley was used to make beer. Beer was drank by both rich and poor. Wine made from grapes, pomegranates and plums was enjoyed by the rich. The rich ancient Egyptians' ate meat - (beef, goat, mutton), fish from the Nile (perch, catfish, mullet) or poultry (goose, pigeon, duck, heron, crane) on a daily basis.
Activities. The Ancient Olympics. The Ancient Olympics by CTCWeb Editors I always felt that my greatest asset was not my physical ability, it was my mental ability. - Bruce Jenner, Gold Medal winner in the 1976 decathlon The Prologue Long before the Olympics, athletic competition was an integral part of life in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Greece. For the Greeks, Egyptians, and Mesopotamians physical fitness was extremely important, even for children.
Kings, pharaohs, and nobles trained and competed in athletic contests. Regularly scheduled athletic competitions took place in Egypt and Mesopotamia as far back as 3,000 BCE, but only pharaohs, kings, and nobility usually attended these events. Archaeological evidence from the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs Ptahotep, Akhethotep, and Ramses III depict wrestling scenes dating as far back as 2,400 BCE. Equipment used in Minoan athletic competitions.