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The techniques that make up the modern martial arts may have roots that extend back to the beginning of civilization, says Richard Ryan (right). PHOTO BY RICK HUSTEAD |
The story of mankind is the story of conflict. Every civilization cultivates its own fighting arts, yielding a rich martial history that's written in the blood of countless warriors, soldiers and masters of combat. These days, the fighting arts are part of our popular culture. From movies to television to video games, the arts are everywhere. But how far back do their lineages reach?
Since before recorded history began, human beings have practiced the arts of combat for war, for selfdefense and later for sport. Early hunting and survival skills probably became the basis for the first martial arts. Scientists still argue about how long modern man has been around and how sophisticated early civilizations were. Some light can be shed on the question by examining the following discovery.
In 1991 a mummified man was found buried in the Alps near the border of Austria and Italy A forensic examination revealed that he was a Stone Age hunter or warrior who lived about 5,300 years ago. He was fully equipped with a copper ax, a flint knife, a staff, a longbow, 14 arrows, and a belt pouch that contained medicinal plants and a f irestarting kit. Dubbed "The Iceman," he had charcoal tattoos on his legs and feet. His clothescap, leggings, fur poncho, loincloth, shoes, grass cloakconstitute the oldest complete set of garments found in Europe.
Scientists believe the cause of death may have been a fall that followed an arrow shot to the shoulder. In other words, The Iceman died after being involved in a violent confrontation.
 Amazingly, Oetzi, as he's sometimes called, was equipped as well as any modern bowhunter. His archery gear was designed for longrange shooting. His staff could have been used for walking or selfdefense. His ax and knife could have served as survival tools or closequarterscombat weapons. His kit was state of the art 53 centuries ago.
When he died, The Iceman was traveling high in the mountains. He was equipped for hunting, but he apparently became involved in a conflict with other human beings. The wound created by the arrow didn't kill him, He kept moving, perhaps even made a run for it, He probably knew he wouldn't get far, but he had to try, Starting to bleed out, he must have known he needed to find a defensive position. He headed for high ground, where he found a spot between two rocks.
What happened next is anyone's guess. Did he try to hide from his pursuers? Did he use a multipleopponent strategy and place his back against the rocks to leave his enemies with a single line of attack? We'll never know. But we do know that because of the way he was found, he took out his flint knife and turned to face his foes for one last stand. Then he fell and died.
It's interesting that Oetzi was found next to his gear. Was he carrying something else of value, something his attackers were so happy to acquire that they ignored all the other stuff? Why didn't they take any of his hunting equipment? Was the attack personal? Was he a victim of random violence?
You may be wondering what this has to do with the modern martial arts. Plenty. The evidence indicates that The Iceman possessed an extensive knowledge of selfdefense, survival and possibly even interpersonal warfare. That means that selfprotection skills similar to the ones we practice have been prized for at least 5,300 years. In all likelihood, they'll always be part of the human experience.
About the author. Richard Ryan is the founder of
the Dynamic Combat Method and co-founder of Integrated Combative
Arts Training. For more information, visit http://www.blackbeltmag.com and click on Community, then Black Belt Authors.
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