000			02109nam a22002297a 4500
999			_c5338 _d5338
003			OSt
005			20200310101402.0
008			200310b ||||| |||| 00| 0 eng d
020			_a9774243188
040			_aNVIC
100			_aWolfgang Decker
245	1		_aSports and Games of Ancient Egypt
246			_aSport und Spiel im Alten Ägypten
260			_aCairo: _bThe American University in Cairo Press, _c1993
300			_axi, 212 p., _c23 cm
520			_aTwo thousand years before the first Olympic games were held in ancient Greece, sports played a significant cultural and social role in ancient Egypt. This book, written by one of the world's leading authorities on Egyptian sport, is the most thorough treatment of the athletic and recreational activities of the people of ancient Egypt. Drawing on recent evidence from the fields of Egyptology and sport history, Wolfgang Decker describes how both kings and commoners enjoyed athletic activities. Some of the best-known pharaohs performed athletic feats to demonstrate their superiority, says Decker. He discusses the primary sport of the kings--archery--as well as other royal athletic enthusiasms like track and chariot racing. He then provides rich detail on the sports of commoners: racing, jumping, aquatic sports, wrestling, stick fighting, and boxing. Decker also explores the evidence for such recreational activities as ball games, children's games, board games, and acrobatic dances. In a concluding section on hunting, he notes that certain animals were reserved largely for the pharaoh and others for the nobles. Throughout the book, Decker is sensitive to the sociological and political issues that surround sporting activity. Beautifully illustrated and fascinating to read, this book was highly praised when it was published in Germany in 1987. It is now available for the first time to English-speaking readers.
650			_aAncient Egypt _vDaily Life _xSports _xGames
650			_aAncient sports _xRunning _xJumping _xCombat _xAquatic sports _zEgypt
700			_aAllen Guttmann _etranslation
902			_aI 630
942			_2ddc _cBK