Encyclopedia of Society and Culture in the Ancient World

Th e customs of the Germans diff er widely from those of the Gauls; for neither have they Druids to preside over religious serv ...

▶ sports and recreation introduction Th e word recreation suggests the idea of “re-creating,” or “creating again.” In turn, this ...

cultures that a person seeing a relic from ancient Africa could easily recognize it as something people played games with. Some ...

athletic of the kings, having been trained since childhood in many athletic pursuits, Amenhotep II claimed not only to have pier ...

In addition to board games children in ancient Egypt played with assortment of tiny fi gurines carved from wood and clay. Many s ...

als translated into Hittite for horse training from the 13th and 14th centuries b.c.e. Likewise, there probably existed competi- ...

emperor. Nevertheless, gambling was prevalent. One very popular betting game was liupo, which may have meant “six dice.” It was ...

EUROPE BY JUSTIN CORFIELD Th e archaeological record of prehistoric Europe tells us very little about recreation and sport, and ...

GREECE BY JOHN THORBURN Th e Greeks were one of the few ancient cultures to engage in athletic activity for purposes other than ...

Ancient vase paintings show runners carrying shields and wearing helmets and other armor. Th e hoplitodromos appears to have bee ...

circle”) in Rome was the most famous example. Th e chari- oteers belonged to four diff erent teams or “factions”—Blue, Green, Wh ...

similar to backgammon and checkers. Th e dice were typi- cally made from the small bones of animals’ knuckles but also could be ...

wagering also became an important element, piquing interest in the sport. Indigenous inhabitants of the southwestern United Stat ...

from among the beardless and confronted the full- grown for the prize of silver vessels, how without a fall he threw his men wit ...

with a gold collar, and allowed him and his posterity to bear the surname of Torquati. But soon afterwards he gave up the exhibi ...

FURTHER READING Carlin A. Barton, Th e Sorrows of the Ancient Romans: Th e Gladiator and the Monster (Princeton, N.J.: Princeton ...

freezing was a good way to preserve food in cold-weather cli- mates. North Americans, for example, killed game late in the fall ...

South of Kush, along the coast of East Africa, lived peo- ple who seemed to put water to another use. According to the Greek geo ...

where the grain was poured in. Another opening at the bot- tom was used to remove the grain. Th is structural form ex- isted unt ...

the surface of the pot less permeable to air and moisture and helps prevent the contents from spoiling. By the Chalcolithic Peri ...