Scientific Athletics

appreciation of athl tic . The e hieroglyphic were reproduced principally upon papyri and monument , and represent uch mod rn arts a fen ing, wr tling, weight-lifting, et . It i affirmed that painting at Benni Has an d pict many wr stling tacti imilar to tho e employ d by mod rn wre tl rs. The anci nt style of wr tling, hO\v ver, wa an unr fined form of catch-a -catch-can, in whi h th athlete participated in a nude condition. In w ight-lifting cont t a ack of sand was the unwieldy arti le u d, and had to be lifted above th head. Fencing al o wa a popular pa time. In it p rformanc swords and taff were wielded dexterou ly, th hand and arm of the com– batants being protect d by ub tantial wicker tructures. ,\ crobatic f ats rec iv l an univer al appr bation, and prizes were award d to the succe ful contortionist . It app ar that ariou athl tic feat , including club- winging and weight-lifting, wer in vogu among the aboriginal Indians. They al o incr a d th flexibility of the limb by manipulating or ma aging th muscle and joints. Th Babylonian were reput cl to hav been highly accompli h cl, and inve tigation hav hown that th y indulged in phy ical x rci e and wr tling. It appear also that th ir ucces or , th yrian , ad ptecl similar port , th ir design h ing to trength n the body and to ad, an a alutar mode of lif . 1\ll th ir progeny, p cially tho of nobl extraction, w r ncourag d to ultivat a vari t of port , par– ticularly riding and hooting. Many nturie mu t hav interven d b tw n th P 'Omparati ly primitive att mpt_ in athleti and phy_ i al culture, and the ancient games or fe tival m 'btut d in later tim s. Th mo t r nown d of tho · later a.. mhli wa · the 0LY:\IPIC rA1IES. Th primar Olympiad, from which the r ek reek n cl tim , oc lllT 1, a cording to th mo t accurate and 1 arn cl computation, pr i ly 776 y ar prior to the fir t year of hrist, or 775 ar prior to that of his 17