Wrestling/Boxing in Ancient Egypt
On the walls of Baqet III (BH15/Tomb 15) at Ben-Hasan there is fantastic depictions of fighting maneuvers. The tomb dates back to the 11th Dynasty and yet the figures likely show a form of fighting that has been around the civilization much longer than the tomb itself. This was a martial arts that was used for contest and very likely applied on the battlefield when necessary.
Baqet III himself had lived during the reign of Pharaoh Mentuhotep II. During his lifetime he had acquired the titles beyond that of of governor of his nome (Men'at Khufu which is now modern day Minya) that dubbed him "haty-a, treasurer of the King of Lower Egypt, confidential friend, true royal acquaintance, and mayor of Nekheb".
Baqet III lived during a time when civil war was still lingering from the First Intermediate Period and although Mantuhotep II was the 6th ruler of his Dynasty, he is the one to reunit Egypt as a whole. According to Egyptologist, Baqet realized that the Civil War was in favor of those in Thebes and thus he broke the neutrality of his territory to side with them. Upon his death, his loyalty allowed for his son to succeed him who was named Khety.
