Bowling appeared since ancient Egypt

Throwing a stone ball along a lane can be a popular game in ancient Egypt. Proof of this game was found at Narmoutheo, 90 km from Cairo city.

The game is a mix of bowling and billiard, taking place in a large room. This may be the first model of today's modern bowling room. The room is located in a residence that dates back to Roman times, in the 2-3 century.

"First we found out that the room has very beautiful limestone floors. Next we found a lane and two soccer balls," said Edda Bresciani, an Egyptian scholar at the University of Pisa.

The lane is 4 m long, 20 cm wide, 9.6 cm deep, and has a 12 cm square hole in the center. Under that hole, the researchers found a large terracotta jar filled with fine sand. They also noticed balls of different diameters, one that fit snugly into a square hole, another that could easily roll over the lane.

According to Bresciani, the game consists of two players standing at the ends of the lane. One person throws a smaller ball, the other throws a bigger ball.

"They can throw the ball at the same time. It is possible that the bigger ball will be thrown so that the smaller ball falls into the center hole. If it falls, the smaller ball can easily be removed from. the jar is filled with sand at the bottom, " said Bresciani.

MT