18. Boxing
Pretty much everyone has heard of boxing, since it’s still a popular sport today. Its origins are traced all the way back to ancient Mesopotamia, from the Sumerians. There are relief paintings dating from the third or second millennium BCE. In these ancient paintings, we see two men bare-fisted, bending their arms and standing in a stance ready to fight.
The Minoans seem to be the first civilization to use boxing gloves to protect the fighter’s hands. During the 23rd Olympics in 688 BCE, boxing was played, and the fighters had hand protection. Over the years, it has continued to evolve into what we see today, with very little having changed since ancient times.
