Search Results: Sports timeline

Stephen Fry takes a look inside the story of Johann Gutenberg, inventor of the world's first printing press in the 15th century, and an exploration of how and why the machine was invented. It's like Netflix for history... Sign up to History...

Sports and athleticism was a cornerstone of life in the ancient Mediterranean. Hunting, dancing, gymnastics, and charioteering were favorite sports of the elite in Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, and Rome. The Greeks and Romans were especially...

In this collection of resources, we examine some of the sports that thrilled ancient and medieval audiences from the fast and furious chariot races of the Circus Maximus to the colour and pageantry of medieval jousts. We look at the hockey...

Pankration is an ancient martial art which mixes wrestling and boxing. The sport can be traced as far back as the second millennium BCE in the territory of ancient Greece. Its name derives from the ancient Greek words pan (all) and kratos...

The Elizabethan founders of the British Empire have long been considered heroes of great personal genius and skill who civilised the natives and founded one of the greatest empires in the history of the world. In fact they were a bunch of...

The Roman empire was a time of power and brutality, fuelled by violent games and bloodbaths. However, it was also abundent in refinement and extreme sensuality. Food and cooking was an key indicator of success, with quality and abundance...

Although the ancient Egyptians are often depicted as death-obsessed and dour, they actually had a great appreciation for life and their culture reflected their belief in existence as an eternal journey imbued with magic. Life was a gift from...

Pherenike (l. c. 388 BCE, also known as Kallipateira) was an athlete from Rhodes who, because she was a woman, could not compete in the Olympic Games and, as a married woman, was not allowed to even watch them. Defying these rules and risking...

A documentary on the history of pilgrimage.

The chariot was the premier weapon of war in the ancient world for more than 700 years, and was adopted by empires such as the Hittites, Egyptians, and Assyrians. Chariots were used not only in warfare, but also for sport, particularly...