Appearance, reasons for practice and functions of the sports in ancient civilizations

According to the idealist point of view of primitive communities, sports activities were dancing; while it was shooting spears according to materialistic point of view. The free time and ownership concept that showed up with sedentary society caused that sports were done with the purpose of getting prepared for wars and for fun. It is understood from the archaeological finds that Mesopotamia civilizations were doing boxing, wrestling, archery, equestrian and water sports. Traces of the sports activities can be observed from the era remnants and hieroglyphics in the Ancient Egypt which had several kinds of sports. Physical education and sports activities of Old China was shaped in accordance with wushu which included health directional kung fu and war sports. Equestrian sports, archery, wrestling, skiing and football were some of the sports that were shaping the cultural life of Old Turks. In the Ancient Greece, sports activities were means of reaching the ideal human who developed accommodatingly in terms of mental, physical and psychological aspects. Classical Age Atina Educational System, which is close with physical education, served as a model to the other city-states. Ideal human understanding which had changed with sophists' and philosophers' effect at the end of the Classical Era was structured upon plain intellectual development. In the Helen and Roman era, sports were done in a health-directional way and being occupational athlete became prominent in the athletic competitions. Ancient Olympic Games which was the biggest sports organization of the Antique Age started 776 B.C. and reached to top with the program that lasted for 5 days among 23 sports disciplines in the Classical Age. Romans who could not understand the philosophical and religious substructure of the games vitiated games and games were ended when all pagan cult rituals were banned in 393 A.D.