Evidence suggests that the bow and arrow were invented by the end of the Upper Paleolithic era (around 20,000 BCE), which makes archery an important part of early human history — it was used for hunting and is present throughout the mythologies of many different cultures.
Ancient Egyptians were one of the first civilizations to regularly use archery for hunting and warfare. In addition to the Egyptians, other ancient civilizations — the Persians, Parthians, Indians, Chinese, and Japanese — had a large number of archers in their armies. Archery made its Olympic debut in 1900 and was featured in the next 1904, 1908, and 1920 before returning in 1972; it is still currently a part of the Olympics. Disclaimer: Mankind’s earliest sports grew out of survival skills. Wrestling is considered one of the very first, with depictions found in the Lascaux cave paintings in France dating back over 15,000 years. Running also has prehistoric roots, since speed was crucial for both hunting and escaping danger; by around 3,000 BCE, footraces were already being held in Egypt and Mesopotamia, and the very first Olympic event in Greece in 776 BCE was a sprint known as the stadion.
