Examples of Early City Life from Ancient Assyria, Babylon, Egypt, Israel, India and China: Health as a Gift of the Gods

Abstract

In regions such as Sumeria/Assyria/Babylonia, Egypt, Israel, India and China. large armies of slaves, fertile flood plains, and irrigation facilitated the shift from a hunter-gatherer society to pastoral life. Agricultural surpluses allowed the construction of quite large cities and the emergence of class structures, with a ruling class, government officials, soldiers, labourers, and slaves, each with their own health and fitness needs. Occasionally, the ruler was expected to demonstrate his physical prowess, but the elite pursued active sports more for pleasure than to enhance personal fitness. The number of sedentary workers steadily increased as cities grew in complexity; this, combined with the evolution of spectator events, feasting and sedentary board games brought obesity and poor physical condition to many in the upper echelons of society. The soldiers wore armour and carried heavy weapons; their physical fitness was maintained by a combination of military duties and sports participation. Common labourers and slaves carried out heavy occupational work for long hours each day, maintaining their fitness, provided that they were well fed. Passive transportation (on horseback and in chariots), and the harnessing of water power were early harbingers of the mechanization that would eventually reduce human toil. Illness was generally attributed to some offence against the gods and/or an imbalance among four or five poorly understood “body humours.” Physicians emerged from the priesthood with a repertoire of treatments that included surgery, herbal remedies, ritual exercises, acupuncture and magical incantations. A few lone voices advocated exercise for its health benefits, and even among this group, the suggested intensity of effort was usually quite low.