Professional Documents
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History and Development of Recreational Activities
History and Development of Recreational Activities
History and Development of Recreational Activities
1. Ancient Egypt
The ancient Egyptians led a colorful and pleasant life; it is said that their energies
were directed to the arts of living and the arts of dying. They engaged in many
sports as part of education and recreation, including wrestling, gymnastic exercises,
lifting and swinging weights, and ball games. Bullfighting was a popular spectacle
and, at least at its inception, was religiously motivated. Music, drama, and dance
were forms of religious worship as well as social entertainment. The Egyptians had
complex orchestras that included various stringed and percussive instruments.
Groups of female performers were attached to temples, and the royal houses had
troupes of entertainers who performed on sacred or social occasions.
The Assyrian and Babylonians had more popular recreation activities, such as
boxing, wrestling, archery and a variety of table games. In addition to watching,
dancing, listening to music, and giving banquets, Assyrians were also devoted to
hunting; the nobles of Assyria went lion hunting in chariots and on foot, using spear.
The w=chase was a daily occupation, recorded for history in numerous reliefs,
sculptures, and inscriptions. As early as the ninth century B.C., parks were
established as sites for royal hunting parties. They also provided settings for feasts,
assemblies and royal gatherings. On the estates of other monarchs during the ninth
and tenth centuries B.C. were vineyards, fishponds, and the famed hanging gardens
of Babylon.
3. Ancient Israel
Music and dancing were performed for ritual purposes as well as for social activities
and celebrations which are proven with the abundant references in the Old
Testament. Like other ancient societies, the ancient Hebrews also engaged in
hunting, fishing, wrestling, and the use of such weapons as the sword and javelin for
both recreational and defensive purposes.
4. Ancient Greece
Because of the influence of Ancient Greece on Western civilization, it is important to
understand how leisure and recreation were viewed in that society. Most scholars
regard Aristotle to be the “Father of Leisure” due to the fact that he championed the
view that leisure was an ideal, or, in other words, an end in itself. Unfortunately,
only privileged classes were able to live this way of life-a lifestyle of freedom for a
few was possible due to the enslavement of many.
5. Ancient Rome
Ancient Romans pursued a different kind of leisure, valuing physical strength and
promoting athletic competition. Social classes were non-existent, and leisure was
seen as a right of citizenship. As the masses became stratified into classes, the ruling
class participated in creative, cultural activities that only its members could afford,
while the “plebs” did what they could during their free time with their limited
resources. The ruling classes staged entertainment for the plebs, built facilities (e.g.,
The Colosseum) and proclaimed 175 official holidays, which became known for
increasingly perverse behaviors and brutality. Many historians believe that this
abuse and Rome’s inability to deal with mass leisure was a major reason for the
downfall of the Roman Empire. Rome’s difficulties with the use of leisure time
resulted in a dislike for recreation during the Middle Ages.
6. Medieval Europe
“Rome, the Empire” became “Rome, the Church”. The church was eager to separate
itself from the hedonistic way of life practiced by its early oppressors. During the
Dark Ages, the value of work was stressed from the pulpit, and leisure as an ideal
ceased to be promoted. Pleasurable pursuits were equated with sinfulness, while
self-denial, sacrifice and solemnity became viewed as righteous. The Protestant
Reformation slowly facilitated a general appreciation of leisure and an extension of
recreational opportunities to the masses. Leaders of new religious sects often went
to extremes to distance themselves from the Catholic aristocracy by declaring the
importance of work for all, and by discounting the value of leisure pursuits in
general.
2. Spanish Era