The game of Hockey has been around from the time of early civilization. Some of the reports find the earliest origin of the game 4000 years back. Field hockey was reportedly played even before the birth of Christ. Basically known as the ball and stick game, it was played since ancient times in places diverse as Rome, Scotland, Egypt and South America. The game was referred to in different names but the basic idea of playing the game was the same. The most apt used term was Hockie by the Irish. Though the term was coined centuries ago, the word found its way through to the present generation.
Ancient hockey shrine, dating 210BC
This recent discovery at the Terracotta Warriors Site, is an important one for the history of sports, as it proves that the “hockey stick” as we know it now, was not first used in the 18th century but was already known during the rule of the First Qin Emperor.This means 210BC!
Impressive is the detail of the Warrior’s ice skates seen on the statues. Most likely these were unknown to any other army during that period and gave those who wore them a huge advantage in speed over their enemies.
This Terracotta Army equipped with hockey skates, sticks and gloves image is kindly supplied by Worth1000.com, known for publishing the most amazing archaeological findings (even if this means they need to make them up). 😉