THE HISTORY OF SWIMMING
Our ancestors settled down next to the life-giving water, they fished, hunted, and it is
likely that they also dared to enter the water. What technique did they use to swim? The answer to
this question is given by the cavemen. They showed their swimming technique in the paintings on
the cave wall. It is likely that they overcame water obstacles dog-peddling and doing propulsive
arm movements similar to today’s freestyle arm-stroke, or clung to logs and animal bladders. In
some cave paintings from the stone-age we can discover some kind of swimming-like moves but it
is not easy to identify the style. Some authors say it is breaststroke, some others say it is dog-
paddling. On an ancient Egyptian clay tablet from 4000 – 9000 B.C. it is easier to identify the
swimming style. The arm-stroke clearly shows the moving phase of the freestyle arm-stroke: one
arm is depicted in the recovery phase above the water, while the other arm carries out the pulling
action under the water.
While there are only a few records left for us from the Prehistoric era, we know a lot more about the
developed swimming and bath culture of people in Ancient Times. Human civilizations, such as the
Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Chinese, Indian and Greek were established beside waters, along rivers and
seas, and this developed close ties with the life-giving water. Ancient thinkers, poets, lawmakers,
general officers, doctors quickly realized the positive effects of swimming, and they applied them in
military tactics and trainings as well as in education. In the advanced societies of the ancient world
almost everywhere appeared the swimming and bathing culture.
For the ancient Greeks swimming was a measure of culture. “Those uneducated who can
neither swim nor read and write, cannot hold a public position”, said Plato. Although swimming was not
included in the programme of the Olympic Games, it was an important part of education. In Athens,
Solon made the acquisition of the science of swimming compulsory in 594 B.C., and Lykourgos, the
lawmaker of Sparta, prescribed the same in a strict Act on education in the 9 th century.
In Mesopotamia we can find swimming and the pictorial or written records hereof in almost
every nation’s culture from the Sumerian to the Assyrian. Their scientific achievements include water
pools and swimming pools. Excavations in Syria revealed four-thousand-year old baths, the water
temperature of which could be regulated as desired. Many records related to swimming remained from
the Assyrians too. When exploring the ruins of Nineveh, several reliefs were dug out from royal tombs
from 1200 B.C. which represented the swimming trainings of Assyrian warriors. Swimming was an
integral part of combat training of the Assyrians as well as young people in Israel received obligatory
swimming lessons. Herod the Great (73 B.C. – 4 A.D.), king of Judea, made swimming compulsory to
all male children. In Mesopotamia as well as in Egypt developed a high-standard body culture, which
was connected to water in many ways. Swimming and bathing in the Nile was also one of their
religious obligations. They also had baths, not only the pharaohs but archeologists found pools for
swimming at the dwellings of general people. The oldest pictorial records of professional swimming can
also be seen in Egyptian papyri from 3000 B.C. The ancient Egyptians knew a number of swimming
styles. Freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke are depicted in the representations found in royal tombs,
on vessels and vases.
The rest of the ancient people left us with less records of their bath culture, but we at least
know that the Germanic peoples used swimming as a tactical exercise, and that the Finnish considered
it as natural a movement as running. The Icelandic folklore also reports a number of swimming deeds,
which shows that both men and women were excellent swimmers. In Japan, swimming had an
important role in the training of the Samurai. It was one of the noble skills. According to the historical
records the first known swimming competition was held in the isolated island country in 36 B:C.,
organized by Emperor Su Gui. In the remote India, the ancient records of swimming can also be found.
One of the first pools used for swimming is located here, in Mohenjo-daro, dating back to 2800 B.C.
and measuring 30x60 meters. Within the military caste it was mandatory to learn how to swim and fight
in water. In China, where body culture flourished under the reign of the third dynasty, the Zhou dynasty
(11th – 3rd c.), historians account swimming across rivers. Of course, here as well swimming was part of
the military training. In the 3 rd century B.C., the Chinese Imperial fleet officer training institutions have
organised swimming lessons and swimming trainings. Not everyone was known to be a good swimmer
in the ancient world. Alexander the Great, for example, could not swim. Just as the Persian warriors did
not know the mysteries of water. They were not allowed to learn how to swim for religious reasons,
because they were not allowed to defile the holy water by entering it. The lack of swimming ability
caused the demise of many of them. In the battle of Salamis, in 480 B.C., the Persians were heavily
defeated by the Greeks. The Persians ships were sunk by the Greeks, who due to their lack of
swimming ability could not escape to the nearby island of Salamis, and therefore most of them got
drowned in the sea. The ancient swimming and bathing culture rose to its highest level in Rome. The
usefulness of swimming in entertainment and in public life, and its role in politics was quickly realised.
Romans excelled in bath building, too. Augustus had a swimming pool built, big enough to simulate sea
battles in it. Roman baths were also built in Hungary, such as the famous baths of Aquincum.
