Nuba Wrestling
Encyclopedia
The history of Nuba wrestling as recorded on tomb walls in 11th and 12th Dynastic Egypt, provides a look at the world's oldest known system of combat.
Nuba Wrestling
. On this continent, techniques and systems of combat
were first established. Kemet, otherwise known as Egypt, is one of Africa’s oldest, and best preserved civilizations. The systematic techniques of combat are today known collectively as martial arts
, from the Roman god Mars
who was renamed so from the Greek god Ares
, who in turn was renamed from the original Kemetic diety Anhur
. Systematic methods of combat had long been a tradition of ancient Nubia
and were fully represented in the 11th and 12th Kemetic Dynasties. In an area that was once known as Ta-Seti
, or "Land of the Bow", and today known as Sudan, archeological finds at Qustul indicates a predynastic civilization in ancient Nubia
(also known as Kush) that is at least 3,000 years older than the first Egyptian dynasty. Researcher Bruce Williams of the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago has identified images on a limestone, Nubian incense burner discovered in January 1964 by Dr. Keith C. Steele at Qustul. Excavated from Cemetary L, tomb 24, the artifact is known as "The Qustul Incense Burner". Bruce Williams reveals that this artifact depicts royal symbols such as a falcon diety, the White Crown of Upper Kemet, three sacred boats, and castle fortification that were hallmarks of later Kemetic dynasties.
, meaning "hill of the Hasan family". There are 39 rock tombs that exist. These tombs were the resting places for the governors of that region.
Of the 39 tombs, three of them are unique in all of Kemet (Egypt). In these three tombs, hundreds of illustrations represent the oldest known martial arts on Earth. Having inherited this technology from the Nuba in the south, the paintings in the tombs of Governors Baqet, Khety, son of Baqet, and Amenemhat
date from around 2,800 B.C., between the 11th and 2th Dynasties. The illustrations represent not only hand to hand combat which consists of grappling
, kicking, and punching
, but also weaponry (bow and arrow, axe, mace, lance, staff, clubs, stick fighting, and throwing sticks) as well as military technology such as a shielding device known as a testudo, and also castle
architecture. For these reasons, martial arts historian and researcher Nijel Binns
, author of the book Nuba Wrestling™: The Original Art has referred to Nuba wrestling as the Rosetta Stone of the martial arts. It is the key to unlocking the origins of the world’s present day martial disciplines and understanding the history of martial arts
. Modern day 18th century European explorers such as the French Jean-Francois Champollion
and the Italian Ippolito Rosellini
with their "Franco-Tuscan Expedition" of 1828, a German expedition under Richard Lepsius in 1842, as well as the Englishmen John Gardner Wilkinson
and Percy Newberry
all went into Kemet and recorded what was written and illustrated on these tomb walls. The most notably of these explorers was Percy Newberry. Under the auspices of the Egypt Exploration Fund (Egypt Exploration Society
) he produced a three volume set titled Beni Hasan which included illustrations traced from the walls of, among others, the tombs of Baqet lll, Khety, and Amenemhat. In so doing he documented aspects of the ancient African martial systems that we have become familiar with in western boxing and Asian martial arts.
The physical description of the tombs at the time of Newberry's survey was recorded in the book The Season’s Work at Ahnas and Beni Hasan and indicated that, "Much of this is in a fearful state of dilapidation, and year by year it is getting worse. Large flakes of painted plaster are falling from the wall; many of the scenes have faded away so completely as to be hardly distinguishable; and in a few years’ time, if active measures are not taken to preserve the tombs, little will remain on their walls to tell of their former beauty." Newberry remarked that he and his team "succeeded in doing nearly all that could be done “to preserve a faithful record of what yet remains.” He added that,
have found their way into Europe and Asia from Africa.
carried the believe that the exact origins of the Games are shrouded in myth and legend. However regarding their origins, the Greeks themselves were very clear.
As depicted in the hundreds of illustrations from the walls of the tombs of Baqet III, Khety, and Amenemhat, martial arts as practiced in ancient Kemet was an all encompassing art that was expressed with kicking, punching, grappling, weaponry, and more. When the Greeks were introduced to this discipline, they chose a name for it; pankration
which means all powers. The etymology of the word pankration may reveal it’s Kemetic roots. The prefix "pan" means "all". The suffix "tion", or "ion" denotes action or state of being. The "krat" portion of the word defines the concept of "powers" in pankration. Krat refers to the all inclusive methods of fighting that are exemplified by the practice of several forms of combat. The Greek word "krat" could also refer to the grouping of three words found in an earlier Kemetic vocabulary.
The ancient Kemetic writing system is known as medu neter. The Greeks called it hieroglyphics, or writings of the Gods. In the medu neter the word "Ka" has a double meaning dealing with the spiritual and physical. Ka means the vital energy of the soul. Note the concept and spelling of Ka in ancient Kemet and the words "ki" in Japanese, and "chi" in Chinese. The three words refer to a vital, internal energy. In Kemet, the word ka also means the physical body, or more precisely, "the dead body".
The word "Ra", or "res" means to wake up, to keep awake, or to watch. Ra is also the name given to the Sun which re-news itself by circling to re-appear each day. The word ra speaks of regeneration.
"Te", or "t" means hand. In the ancient Kemetic writing system the symbol for te is a hand. The word te means out of, to go out, to emit, to give, to set, or to place. Te denotes action. Also, note that the Japanese word for hand is also te.
The krat in pankration means powers and may be derived from the older Kemetic concepts of Ka (vital physical and spiritual energy), ra (to rise up, to regenerate), and te (the act of).
It is interesting to note that in Japan, the words Karate
(空手),
or Karate Do translates to mean 'empty hand way'. Kara means 'empty' and te|手||literally "hand", is the same in the medu neter hand, as noted above. The word "do" means way (in Chinese it is "tao"). Note that legendary martial arts master Masutatsu Oyama
wrote in his first book What is Karate?, published in 1958, that "The oldest records we have concerns unarmed combat on hieroglyphics from the Egyptian pyramids...". Oyama makes specific reference to Beni Hasan as the source of martial arts. Likewise, Hawaiian born Kenpo Karate Grandmaster Ed Parker
, universally acknowledged "Father of American Karate" wrote in his first book "Kenpo Karate - Law of the Fist and the Empty Hand", that "records seem to link KENPO KARATE (Mr. Parker's emphasis) even back to the time of the Egyptian Empire."
Nuba Wrestling
Ta-Seti "Land of the Bow"
The birthplace of humanity is AfricaAfrica
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. On this continent, techniques and systems of combat
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
were first established. Kemet, otherwise known as Egypt, is one of Africa’s oldest, and best preserved civilizations. The systematic techniques of combat are today known collectively as martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
, from the Roman god Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
who was renamed so from the Greek god Ares
Ares
Ares is the Greek god of war. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. In Greek literature, he often represents the physical or violent aspect of war, in contrast to the armored Athena, whose functions as a goddess of intelligence include military strategy and...
, who in turn was renamed from the original Kemetic diety Anhur
Anhur
In early Egyptian mythology, Anhur was originally a god of war who was worshipped in the Egyptian area of Abydos, and particularly in Thinis...
. Systematic methods of combat had long been a tradition of ancient Nubia
Nubia
Nubia is a region along the Nile river, which is located in northern Sudan and southern Egypt.There were a number of small Nubian kingdoms throughout the Middle Ages, the last of which collapsed in 1504, when Nubia became divided between Egypt and the Sennar sultanate resulting in the Arabization...
and were fully represented in the 11th and 12th Kemetic Dynasties. In an area that was once known as Ta-Seti
Ta-Seti
Ta-Seti was one of 42 nomoi in Ancient Egypt. Ta-Seti also marked the border area towards Nubia.-Geography:Ta-Seti was the earliest Nubian Kingdom, dated 3,700 BCE...
, or "Land of the Bow", and today known as Sudan, archeological finds at Qustul indicates a predynastic civilization in ancient Nubia
Nubia
Nubia is a region along the Nile river, which is located in northern Sudan and southern Egypt.There were a number of small Nubian kingdoms throughout the Middle Ages, the last of which collapsed in 1504, when Nubia became divided between Egypt and the Sennar sultanate resulting in the Arabization...
(also known as Kush) that is at least 3,000 years older than the first Egyptian dynasty. Researcher Bruce Williams of the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago has identified images on a limestone, Nubian incense burner discovered in January 1964 by Dr. Keith C. Steele at Qustul. Excavated from Cemetary L, tomb 24, the artifact is known as "The Qustul Incense Burner". Bruce Williams reveals that this artifact depicts royal symbols such as a falcon diety, the White Crown of Upper Kemet, three sacred boats, and castle fortification that were hallmarks of later Kemetic dynasties.
Mahez aka Beni Hasan
In an area roughly 170 miles south of present day Cairo, along the eastern banks of the Nile river is an area known during it’s time by the people of Kemet as Mahez (the name for a long-horned African antelope that proliferated in that area). It was later referred to by the Greeks as the Oryx provence and is today called Beni HasanBeni Hasan
Beni Hasan is an Ancient Egyptian cemetery site. It is located approximately 20 kilometers to the south of modern-day Minya in the region known as Middle Egypt, the area between Asyut and Memphis.While there are some Old Kingdom burials at the site, it was primarily used during the Middle...
, meaning "hill of the Hasan family". There are 39 rock tombs that exist. These tombs were the resting places for the governors of that region.
Of the 39 tombs, three of them are unique in all of Kemet (Egypt). In these three tombs, hundreds of illustrations represent the oldest known martial arts on Earth. Having inherited this technology from the Nuba in the south, the paintings in the tombs of Governors Baqet, Khety, son of Baqet, and Amenemhat
Amenemhat
Amenemhat or Amenemhet may refer to:* Amenemhat I was the first ruler of the 12th dynasty of Egypt. Amenemhat I was a vizier of his predecessor Mentuhotep IV, overthrowing him from power. Amenemhat I moved the capital from Thebes to Itjtawy.* Amenemhat II Amenemhat or Amenemhet may refer to:*...
date from around 2,800 B.C., between the 11th and 2th Dynasties. The illustrations represent not only hand to hand combat which consists of grappling
Grappling
Grappling refers to techniques, maneuvers, and counters applied to an opponent in order to gain a physical advantage, such as improving relative position, escaping, submitting, or injury to the opponent. Grappling is a general term that covers techniques used in many disciplines, styles and martial...
, kicking, and punching
Punching
Punching is a metal forming process that uses a punch press to force a tool, called a punch, through the workpiece to create a hole via shearing. The punch often passes through the work into a die. A scrap slug from the hole is deposited into the die in the process. Depending on the material being...
, but also weaponry (bow and arrow, axe, mace, lance, staff, clubs, stick fighting, and throwing sticks) as well as military technology such as a shielding device known as a testudo, and also castle
Castle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
architecture. For these reasons, martial arts historian and researcher Nijel Binns
Nijel Binns
Nigel Lloyd Binns is an American artist. He creates and performs under the mononym of Nijel, but has also been known by various other names such as Nijel BPG, Nijel Binns, and Nigel Binns....
, author of the book Nuba Wrestling™: The Original Art has referred to Nuba wrestling as the Rosetta Stone of the martial arts. It is the key to unlocking the origins of the world’s present day martial disciplines and understanding the history of martial arts
History of martial arts
The early history of martial arts is difficult to reconstruct. Inherent patterns of human aggression which inspire practice of mock combat and optimization of serious close combat as cultural universals are doubtlessly inherited from the pre-human stage, and were made into an "art" from the...
. Modern day 18th century European explorers such as the French Jean-Francois Champollion
Jean-François Champollion
Jean-François Champollion was a French classical scholar, philologist and orientalist, decipherer of the Egyptian hieroglyphs....
and the Italian Ippolito Rosellini
Ippolito Rosellini
Ippolito Rosellini was an Italian Egyptologist.-Early life:He was born at Pisa. After graduating in theology, he studied under Mezzofanti at Bologna, and in 1824 became professor of oriental languages at Pisa University.-Association with Jean-François Champollion:He was the first disciple, a...
with their "Franco-Tuscan Expedition" of 1828, a German expedition under Richard Lepsius in 1842, as well as the Englishmen John Gardner Wilkinson
John Gardner Wilkinson
Sir John Gardner Wilkinson was an English traveller, writer and pioneer Egyptologist of the 19th century. He is often referred to as "the Father of British Egyptology".-Childhood and education:...
and Percy Newberry
Percy Newberry
Percy Edward Newberry was a British Egyptologist.-Early life:Newberry was born in Islington, London in 1869. His mother was named Caroline Wyatt, and his father, Henry James Newberry, was a woollen warehouseman. Newberry developed a strong attachment to botany in childhood and was also an...
all went into Kemet and recorded what was written and illustrated on these tomb walls. The most notably of these explorers was Percy Newberry. Under the auspices of the Egypt Exploration Fund (Egypt Exploration Society
Egypt Exploration Society
The Egypt Exploration Society is the foremost learned society in the United Kingdom promoting the field of Egyptology....
) he produced a three volume set titled Beni Hasan which included illustrations traced from the walls of, among others, the tombs of Baqet lll, Khety, and Amenemhat. In so doing he documented aspects of the ancient African martial systems that we have become familiar with in western boxing and Asian martial arts.
The physical description of the tombs at the time of Newberry's survey was recorded in the book The Season’s Work at Ahnas and Beni Hasan and indicated that, "Much of this is in a fearful state of dilapidation, and year by year it is getting worse. Large flakes of painted plaster are falling from the wall; many of the scenes have faded away so completely as to be hardly distinguishable; and in a few years’ time, if active measures are not taken to preserve the tombs, little will remain on their walls to tell of their former beauty." Newberry remarked that he and his team "succeeded in doing nearly all that could be done “to preserve a faithful record of what yet remains.” He added that,
Key Concepts in Kemetic Martial Arts
At Beni Hasan, the rock tomb of Khnumhotep II and the three rock hewn tombs belonging to Governors Baqet III, Khety, and Amenemhat contain hundreds of illustrations of fighting figures which makes it the oldest and most prolific visual treatise ever recorded in ancient times. As the worlds first instructional text and like many a Martial arts manual to follow, the tombs provide key martial art techniques, concepts and traditions such as:- Belt tradition and the martial arts
- Baqet, East wall, Row 1, figure 1,the first documented use of belts worn by fighters before they engage in martial arts. Two empty hand warriors square off for a match. A figure on the left stands, left foot forward and holds a white cloth to tie around his waist while the other figure is already tying the cloth around his waist.
- Khety, East wall, Row 4, figure 90.
- Kicking techniques
- Amenemhat, East wall, Row 1, pair 13, one fighter throws a right leg back kick. The opponent counters with a simultaneous right downward block and left hand knuckle strike to the throat.
- Boxing techniques
- Khety, East wall, Row 4, Figure 99, two combatants, fists up, square off in a boxing stance. Although it was not an isolated and refined fighting system and sporting event that it is today, many elements such as the stance, striking, and the Championship Belt tradition began as far back as the Nuba during the time of the pharoahs. These arts and traditions were seized upon by the Greeks and later transmitted to the Western world.
- Grappling and joint locking techniques
- Baqet, East wall, Rows 1 thru 6, Figures 3 to 222
- Khety, East wall, Rows 1 thru 5, Figures 1 to 122
- Amenemhat, East wall, Rows 1 to 3, Figures 1 to 59
- pressure point striking
- Stick, knife, and staff fighting techniques
- archery
- fortification
- battering rams
- warrior philosophy
have found their way into Europe and Asia from Africa.
Governor Baqet III's tomb
Governor Baqet lll’s tomb is identified as Tomb No. 15 by Newberry. In the tomb of Baqet, on the east wall, there are 336 figures grouped either in pairs, sometimes three, or as individual combatants. Of the 336 martial artists, 222 of them are pairs of warriors engaged in empty hand combat.Spread of Africa's martial art legacy
Moving forward in time from Africa in 2,800 B.C., it is not until about 2,024 years later that the first people outside of Africa study the Nubian techniques of combat in great detail. These people were the ancient Greeks. In 776 B.C. the Greeks began the practice of wrestling in honor of the African God Amon whom they renamed Zeus. Original African names have undergone many name changes and for that reason, the origins of many traditions have become obscure. Kemetic gods were renamed by the Greeks. When the Romans gained power, they in turn renamed what the Greeks had earlier renamed. The Kemetic god Amon became Zeus to the Greeks, and later Jupiter under the Romans. The Kemetic god Auset became Isis to the Greeks and Romans. Thus, many modern accounts of the origins of traditional African arts of wrestling, boxing that were adopted by the Greeks and presented to the western world as the Olympic GamesOlympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
carried the believe that the exact origins of the Games are shrouded in myth and legend. However regarding their origins, the Greeks themselves were very clear.
As depicted in the hundreds of illustrations from the walls of the tombs of Baqet III, Khety, and Amenemhat, martial arts as practiced in ancient Kemet was an all encompassing art that was expressed with kicking, punching, grappling, weaponry, and more. When the Greeks were introduced to this discipline, they chose a name for it; pankration
Pankration
Pankration was a martial art introduced into the Greek Olympic Games in 648 BC and founded as a blend of boxing and wrestling but without any rules. The term comes from the Greek , literally meaning "all powers" from "all" + "strength, power". Spartans were taught to use this ancient...
which means all powers. The etymology of the word pankration may reveal it’s Kemetic roots. The prefix "pan" means "all". The suffix "tion", or "ion" denotes action or state of being. The "krat" portion of the word defines the concept of "powers" in pankration. Krat refers to the all inclusive methods of fighting that are exemplified by the practice of several forms of combat. The Greek word "krat" could also refer to the grouping of three words found in an earlier Kemetic vocabulary.
The ancient Kemetic writing system is known as medu neter. The Greeks called it hieroglyphics, or writings of the Gods. In the medu neter the word "Ka" has a double meaning dealing with the spiritual and physical. Ka means the vital energy of the soul. Note the concept and spelling of Ka in ancient Kemet and the words "ki" in Japanese, and "chi" in Chinese. The three words refer to a vital, internal energy. In Kemet, the word ka also means the physical body, or more precisely, "the dead body".
The word "Ra", or "res" means to wake up, to keep awake, or to watch. Ra is also the name given to the Sun which re-news itself by circling to re-appear each day. The word ra speaks of regeneration.
"Te", or "t" means hand. In the ancient Kemetic writing system the symbol for te is a hand. The word te means out of, to go out, to emit, to give, to set, or to place. Te denotes action. Also, note that the Japanese word for hand is also te.
The krat in pankration means powers and may be derived from the older Kemetic concepts of Ka (vital physical and spiritual energy), ra (to rise up, to regenerate), and te (the act of).
It is interesting to note that in Japan, the words Karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
(空手),
or Karate Do translates to mean 'empty hand way'. Kara means 'empty' and te|手||literally "hand", is the same in the medu neter hand, as noted above. The word "do" means way (in Chinese it is "tao"). Note that legendary martial arts master Masutatsu Oyama
Masutatsu Oyama
, more commonly known as Mas Oyama, was a karate master who founded Kyokushinkai Karate, considered the first and most influential style of full contact karate. He was born Choi Yeong-eui . A Zainichi Korean, he spent most of his life living in Japan and acquired Japanese citizenship in 1964...
wrote in his first book What is Karate?, published in 1958, that "The oldest records we have concerns unarmed combat on hieroglyphics from the Egyptian pyramids...". Oyama makes specific reference to Beni Hasan as the source of martial arts. Likewise, Hawaiian born Kenpo Karate Grandmaster Ed Parker
Ed Parker
Edmund Kealoha "Ed" Parker was an American martial artist, promoter, teacher, and author.-Life:Parker was born in Hawaii, and raised a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He began his training in the martial arts at a young age in judo and later boxing...
, universally acknowledged "Father of American Karate" wrote in his first book "Kenpo Karate - Law of the Fist and the Empty Hand", that "records seem to link KENPO KARATE (Mr. Parker's emphasis) even back to the time of the Egyptian Empire."