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History of Swimming: Ancient Origins

Swimming has origins in prehistoric times, as evidenced by drawings in an Egyptian cave dating back to the Stone Age that depict forms of swimming. Written references to swimming date back to 2000 BC in texts such as the Bible and the Iliad. In 1538, the first book dedicated solely to swimming was published. Competitive swimming began gaining popularity in Europe around 1800 using primarily breaststroke. The front crawl stroke was developed in the 1870s. Swimming became an Olympic sport starting in 1896. International governing bodies for competitive swimming were established in the early 20th century.

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53 views2 pages

History of Swimming: Ancient Origins

Swimming has origins in prehistoric times, as evidenced by drawings in an Egyptian cave dating back to the Stone Age that depict forms of swimming. Written references to swimming date back to 2000 BC in texts such as the Bible and the Iliad. In 1538, the first book dedicated solely to swimming was published. Competitive swimming began gaining popularity in Europe around 1800 using primarily breaststroke. The front crawl stroke was developed in the 1870s. Swimming became an Olympic sport starting in 1896. International governing bodies for competitive swimming were established in the early 20th century.

Uploaded by

JM Murillo
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© © All Rights Reserved
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HISTORY OF SWIMMING

Group 1

Submitted by:

Jariel Bongosia
Jariel Bongosia
Jayeam Villanueva
Swimming has been known since prehistoric times. Drawings from the Stone Age were
found in "the cave of swimmers" near Wadi Sora (or Sura) in the southwestern part of Egypt.
Written references date from 2000 B.C., including Gilgamesh, the Iliad, the Odyssey, the Bible
(Ezekiel 47:5, Acts 27:42, Isaiah 25:11), Beowulf, and other sagas. In 1538 Nicolas Wynman,
German professor of languages, wrote the first swimming book, "Colymbetes". Competitive
swimming in Europe started around 1800, mostly using breaststroke. The front crawl, then called
the trudgen, was introduced in 1873 by John Arthur Trudgen, copying it from Native Americans.
Swimming was part of the first modern Olympic games in 1896 in Athens. In 1902 the trudgen
was improved by Richard Cavill, using the flutter kick. In 1908, the world swimming association,
Federation Internationale de Natation de Amateur (FINA), was formed. Butterfly was first a variant
of breaststroke, until it was accepted as a separate style in 1952.

AncientTimes

Drawings from the Stone Age were found in "the cave of swimmers" near Wadi Sora (or Sura) in
the southwestern part of Egypt near Libya. These pictures seem to show breaststroke or dog
paddle, although it may also be possible that the movements have a ritual meaning unrelated to
swimming. This cave is also featured in the movie The English Patient. An Egyptian clay seal
dated between 4000 B.C. and 9000 B.C. shows four swimmers who are believed to be swimming
a variant of the front crawl. More references to swimming are found in Babylonian bas-reliefs and
Assyrian wall drawings, depicting a variant of the breaststroke. The most famous drawings were
found in the Kebir desert and are estimated to be from around 4000 B.C. The Nagoda bas-relief
also shows swimmers dating back from 3000 B.C. The Indian palace Mohenjo Daro from
2800B.C. contains a swimming pool sized 30m by 60m. The Minoan palace Minos of Knossos in
Crete also featured baths. An Egyptian tomb from 2000 B.C. shows a variant of the front crawl.
Depictions of swimmers were also found from the Hittites, Minoans, and other Middle Eastern
civilizations, the Incas in the Tepantitla House at Teotihuacan, and in mosaics in Pompeii.

The Greeks did not include swimming in the ancient Olympic Games, but practiced the sport,
often building swimming pools as part of their baths. One common insult in Greece was to say
about somebody that he/she neither knew how to run nor swim. The Etruscans at Tarquinia (Italy)
show pictures of swimmers in 600 B.C., and tombs in Greece depict swimmers 500 B.C. The
greek Scyllis was taken prisoner on a ship of the Persian king Xerxes I in 480 B.C. After learning
about an impending attack on the Greek navy, he stole a knife and jumped overboard. During the
night and using a snorkel made from reed, he swam back to the ships and cut them loose. It was
also said that the ability to swim saved the Greeks at the Battle of Salamis, while the Persians all
drowned when their ships were destroyed. Julius Caesar was also known to be a good swimmer.
A series of reliefs from 850 B.C. in the Nimrud Gallery of the British Museum show swimmers,
mostly in military context, often using swimming aids.

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