1. Ancient Greece

2. Ancient Egyptian Sports 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. Ancient Egypt

3. The following is an expose of some ancient Egyptian sports: Hockey Handball Gymnastics (floor exercises) Gymnastics (consecutive vault) Javelin ThrowFishing Boxing Weightlifting Equestrian Sports High JumpSwimmingRowing

4. ArcheryRhythmic GymnasticsTug of Hoop Marathon EquilibriumTug of War

5. Ancient Greece was famous for its festivals and especially Athens. These festivals were events held for many days and to which many people participated. The contests involved were mainly sports or artistic and the winners were receiving different prizes and were treated with great respect. Ancient Athens Ancient Makedonia Abstract: The dissertation examines the sport, athletics and agonistic festivals of the ancient Macedonian state from 600 B.C. to 300 B.C., using historical and sociocultural anthropological methodology. The intent is to show how the symbolism of athletic involvement, association with athletes, athletic imagery and patronage of important athletic festivals all operated as one expression of the changing ideology of the Macedonian ruling dynasty. In examining the Macedonian use of sport, some of the cultural and political structures of Macedon are revealed. Sport is seen as a component of culture which has the capacity to reflect and transform society. When studied, sport reveals the larger framework of human behaviour in the individual, in society and in culture. The transformation of Macedonian society and those intertwined with Macedon is illuminated through the analysis of sport in Macedonian culture.

6. Pankration is a newly developed fighting game in contemporary Greece. The new pankration was developed by the resources available by both modern scholarly research and ancient literature and art. Pankration was unknown to Homer, who knew the techniques of wrestling and boxing. It is event, therefore, that pankration is a mix of wrestling and boxing techniques which was introduced in the late archaic era. Ancient Sparti The renowned sport of ancient Crete, open to both genders and subjecting all to the same standards, was bull leaping. This was a dangerous pastime, but harmless and humane to the athlete and the animal if performed with skill. A bull would be released to charge toward the jumper. Once it was in sufficient proximity, the performer would attach his hands to the bull's horns and vault onto the creature's back. Another common objective was to somersault from such a position to a state of standing on a spot of land directly behind the bull. Boxing was also a favorite activity, as portrayed in numerous wall murals. The precise regulations are unknown, but this is perhaps a source of inspiration for later Greeks, who adapted the sport to the Olympic Games. Ancient Crete

7. Ball Games. Little evidence relating to Mesopotamian sports has survived from the ancient Near East. Clay and faience balls have been excavated, but the rules for the games played with them are not clear. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, king Gilgamesh wears out the young men by playing a kind of human polo, riding on their backs while hitting a puck with a stick. Ancient Mesopotamia By Christina A.