Would you use stones instead of balls when you go bowling? Well our ancestors sure did! The bowling alley is a popular entertainment center for people of all ages. This sport of bowling has been traced back to Egypt. The Italian team excavating at Madi city in Fayyoum has unearthed an open structure dating back to the Ptolemaic age.
A spacious room, with a shallow lane running through into a pit and two heavy stone balls lying nearby, was found at this ancient. The balls are of polished limestone, one of which fits the groove and the other the square hole. The structure is like no other found in the ancient world.
The pre-sumed bowling track was found next to the remains of a number of houses each made up of two rooms with a large hall. The team has recently found papyri scrolls dating back to the Ptolemaic period, pottery shards, glass utensils, copper tools and some pieces of faience in the area.
The site dates back to the Ptolemaic era, which began in 332 B.C with Ptolemy I Soter declaring himself Pharaoh of Egypt following Alexander the Great’s conquest, and ended with the Roman conquest in 30 B.C.
The archaeological site of Medinet Madi is one of the most complete. The oldest of its monuments is a 12th Dynasty temple dedicated to the harvest goddess Renenutet and the crocodile-god Sobek.The temple is magnificently decorated with reliefs showing the kings of the 12th Dynasty worshipping the gods.
Source: en.rian.ru
