How Did Bocce Ball Originate?
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Origins During Classical Era
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Bocce ball dates back to 5000 B.C., making it possibly the oldest game in human history. Its origins are in Egypt, where as early as 5200 B.C., figures in Egyptian art were depicted playing a similar game with stones. Due to trade and conquest between the Mediterranean countries, bocce ball was imported to Greece by 800 B.C., where the Romans would eventually learn the game from the Greeks. Its name is derived from the Latin word bottia, meaning boss. Other games such as croquet and horseshoes may also have been derived from bocce ball.
Banning
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Although the game was popular throughout Europe regardless of social status or wealth, it experienced a backlash when heads of state soon realized that soldiers preferred playing bocce ball rather than practicing military exercises. The game had such a sweeping hold on European citizens that it was banned in many European countries in the early 1300s. Players who broke the law were punished, even imprisoned. Even the Catholic Church dismissed the game, claiming it was a form of gambling. Eventually, however, the ban was lifted.
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Great Britain and the Americas
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The game continued to be popular, particularly in Great Britain. Both Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Francis Drake were enthusiastic fans. The British played a slight variation on the game called bowis. This version was imported to America. Unlike other countries, which played bocce ball on the ground, the American version was played on cropped lawns. Early bocce ball courts in the United States were established in Bowling Green in Manhattan and Mount Vernon in the 1780s, where George Washington built his own court.
Modern Times
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Italy became the focal point for many contemporary versions of bocce ball. During the 1940s, the first clubs were formed, leading to a bocce ball league that was established in 1947. The league was composed of 15 teams that came from the Rivoli or Torino areas. Around the same time, the first Bocce World Championships were held. In the United States, bocce ball games are now associated with Italian Americans and Italian immigrants.
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