A detailed scene of a wrestling match from the days of Ramses II gives us arguably the earliest example of the political nature of sports, dispelling claims that sport-politics began in Ancient Greece
Terrific historical description. However, I would like to add that during all of the thousands of years of ancient Egyptian history, there was probably not one wall-painting or stone-carved relief ever made that showed Egyptians losing to a foreigner, no matter what the truth had been. All such artwork was propaganda artwork intended to show off the superiority of Egyptians, individually and collectively, to all foreign enemies. The traditional surrounding enemies--Nubians, Libyans, and "Asiatics," generally people from the modern Middle East--and those from further away, such as the Hittites or the "Sea Peoples" from various points around the Mediterranean Sea.
Rameses III, a fighting pharaoh who reigned for many years, was conspicuously "guilty" of this. In his wars with the Hittite Empire and the Sea Peoples, he is depicted as a giant figure towering enormously over the enemy soldiers, smiting their heads with a deadly mace -- a traditional pose for pharaohs for thousands of years whether they had been in a battle or not. His big battle with the Hittites at Kadesh in modern Lebanon (more or less) is thought by most modern Egyptologists who have ended in a bloody draw followed by a peace-treaty deal. But back in Egypt on the walls of his temples and tomb, the Egyptian artists depicted Rameses as an all-conquering hero and military genius who inflicted a staggering, total defeat on the enemy.
As a result, although the Egyptian wrestlers in the dual meet with Nubia may well have wiped the sandpit with the visiting team, one just can't rely on it as having actually happened. But the bigger thing, the sophistication and popularity of wrestling with the Egyptian court and public, is very true and interesting.
"When the truth. becomes the legend -- print the legend!" (from "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962))
"Untruthfulness didn't begin with us, and it won't end with us." (Russian proverb -- and who would know better about this)
Fun fact: Beni Hasan’s Beqet III tomb is the oldest depiction in wrestling in the entire world.
Terrific historical description. However, I would like to add that during all of the thousands of years of ancient Egyptian history, there was probably not one wall-painting or stone-carved relief ever made that showed Egyptians losing to a foreigner, no matter what the truth had been. All such artwork was propaganda artwork intended to show off the superiority of Egyptians, individually and collectively, to all foreign enemies. The traditional surrounding enemies--Nubians, Libyans, and "Asiatics," generally people from the modern Middle East--and those from further away, such as the Hittites or the "Sea Peoples" from various points around the Mediterranean Sea.
Rameses III, a fighting pharaoh who reigned for many years, was conspicuously "guilty" of this. In his wars with the Hittite Empire and the Sea Peoples, he is depicted as a giant figure towering enormously over the enemy soldiers, smiting their heads with a deadly mace -- a traditional pose for pharaohs for thousands of years whether they had been in a battle or not. His big battle with the Hittites at Kadesh in modern Lebanon (more or less) is thought by most modern Egyptologists who have ended in a bloody draw followed by a peace-treaty deal. But back in Egypt on the walls of his temples and tomb, the Egyptian artists depicted Rameses as an all-conquering hero and military genius who inflicted a staggering, total defeat on the enemy.
As a result, although the Egyptian wrestlers in the dual meet with Nubia may well have wiped the sandpit with the visiting team, one just can't rely on it as having actually happened. But the bigger thing, the sophistication and popularity of wrestling with the Egyptian court and public, is very true and interesting.
"When the truth. becomes the legend -- print the legend!" (from "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" (1962))
"Untruthfulness didn't begin with us, and it won't end with us." (Russian proverb -- and who would know better about this)
Thank you.