Jabarkan Sumeria Kuno dari Sejarah olahraga

Beragam macam petunjuk adanya para pegulat telah ditemukan pada lempeng-lempeng batu yang digali dari kebudayaan Sumeria. Satu lukisan berisi tiga pasang pegulat dipercaya berasal dari masa 3000 SM. Sebuah patung perunggu, (mungkin mirip vas) has been found at Khafaji in Iraq that shows two figures in a wrestling hold that dates to around 2600 BCE. The statue is one of the earliest depictions of sport and is housed in the National Museum of Iraq. The origins of boxing have also been traced to ancient Sumer. The Epic of Gilgamesh gives one of the first historical records of sport with Gilgamesh engaging in a form of belt wrestling with Enkidu. The cuneiform tablets recording the tale date to around 2000 BCE; however, the historical Gilgamesh is supposed to have lived around 2800 to 2600 BCE. The Sumerian king Shulgi also boasts of his prowess in sport in the Self-praise of Shulgi A, B, and C. Fishing hooks not unlike those made today have been found during excavations at Ur, showing evidence of angling in Sumer at around 2600 BCE.