Gymnastics Artistic Gymnastics Trampoline (Olympic Children's Series)

Author: Greek ARTOON Publishing House
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: Olympic Series. About 4,000 years ago, in ancient Egypt and Crete Island, gymnastics was a performance art. Some murals were discovered in Knossos (an ancient city of Crete), depicting a scene where acrobats in colorful costumes were performing a skillful and dangerous gymnastic routine. They ran toward a bull charging at them, suddenly grabbed the bull's horns tightly with their hands, then executed a beautiful somersault, landing on the bull's back. These "bullfighters" were the earliest competitive gymnasts we know. The ancient Greeks believed that a healthy mind and body required a healthy physique, so gymnastics became a fundamental part of children's education. The ancient Romans, Persians, Indians, and Chinese all taught children gymnastics, primarily to prepare them for war. This purpose of sports continued for several centuries.