Handball has been played for thousands of years in one form or another. It is considered to be among the oldest ball games around.

Ancient times

Ancient Egyptians are known to have played various different ball games. There are drawings of them playing handball which date as far back as 5000 years. These drawings show girls split into teams of two each playing handball. The balls used were designed in a way that they were durable and light. They were made with leather skin and stuffed with plant fibres like papyrus or hay.

USA

The game is over 3000 years old as far as America is concerned. It was first played in Mexico. Handball players have been depicted on sculptures, painted pottery items, and various wall paintings which have been found in a lot of archaeological sites across Central America. Out of all the games that these ancient civilisations played, the one which resembles handball the most accurately is Rebotea a mano con pelota dura. The game was popular among the Chichimeca people and was played on courts that were 20 by 40 feet in dimension. There are a lot of ancient ruins around Central America which contain these courts, and along with all the art that depicts the game, just proves that it was quite an important part of these ancient cultures.

Olympics

Nowadays, handball has become quite a popular sport and is even a part of the Olympics. There are multiple international tournaments which are dedicated to this sport and it comes as no surprise that Egypt is among the most talented teams since they have been playing it for the longest time.

Now that you know about the history of this game, you might just be excited to hit the courts and give it a shot. So why don’t you?