Editing Martial arts (section)

===Historical martial arts===
{{Main|History of Asian martial arts|Historical European martial arts}}
[[File:Beni Hassan tomb 15 wrestling detail.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8|Detail of the wrestling fresco in tomb 15 at [[Beni Hasan]]]]
[[File:Young boxers fresco, Akrotiri, Greece.jpg|thumb|150px|The [[martial art]] of [[boxing]] was practiced in ancient [[Santorini|Thera]] (1600–1500 BC).]]Human warfare dates back to the [[Epipalaeolithic]] to early [[Neolithic]] era. The oldest works of art depicting scenes of battle are [[cave paintings]] from eastern Spain ([[Spanish Levante]]) dated between 10,000 and 6,000 BCE that show organized groups fighting with bows and arrows.<ref name="Hamblin">{{cite book|last1=Hamblin|first1=William J.|title=Warfare in the ancient Near East to 1600 BC : holy warriors at the dawn of history|date=2006|publisher=Routledge|location=New York|isbn=978-0415255899|page=[https://archive.org/details/WarfareInTheAncientNearEastTo1600BCBySamySalah/page/n21 15]|edition=Repr.|url=https://archive.org/details/WarfareInTheAncientNearEastTo1600BCBySamySalah}}</ref><ref>Nash, George, "Assessing rank and warfare strategy in prehistoric hunter-gatherer society: a study of representational warrior figures in rock-art from the Spanish Levant" in: M. Parker Pearson & I.J.N. Thorpe (eds.), ''Warfare, violence and slavery in prehistory: proceedings of a Prehistoric Society conference at Sheffield University'', 2005, Archaeopress, {{ISBN|1841718165|978-1841718163}}, [https://www.academia.edu/1078438 Fully online]</ref> Similar evidence of warfare has been found in Epipalaeolithic to early Neolithic era [[mass burial]]s, excavated in Germany and at [[Jebel Sahaba]] in [[Northern Sudan]].<ref name="Hamblin" />

[[Wrestling]] is the oldest [[combat sport]], with origins in [[hand-to-hand combat]]. [[Belt wrestling]] was depicted in works of art from [[Mesopotamia]] and [[Ancient Egypt]] {{circa|3000 BC}}, and later in the [[Sumerian literature|Sumerian]] ''[[Epic of Gilgamesh]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Wrestling |url=https://www.britannica.com/sports/wrestling |website=[[Encyclopedia Britannica]] |access-date=2 September 2019}}</ref> The earliest known depiction of [[boxing]] comes from a [[Sumer]]ian relief in Mesopotamia (modern Iraq) from the 3rd millennium BC.<ref name="EncyclopaediaBritannicaEntry">{{cite encyclopedia |author=Michael Poliakoff |url=https://www.britannica.com/eb/article-29781/boxing |title=Encyclopædia Britannica entry for Boxing |encyclopedia=Britannica.com |access-date=18 May 2013}}</ref>

The foundation of modern [[list of martial arts#East Asia|East Asian martial arts]] and [[list of martial arts#South Asia|South Asian martial arts]] is likely facilitated by cultural exchanges of early [[Chinese martial arts|Chinese]] and [[Indian martial arts]]. During the [[Warring States period]] of [[History of China|Chinese history]] (480–221&nbsp;BC) extensive development in martial philosophy and strategy emerged, as described by [[Sun Tzu]] in ''[[The Art of War]]'' ({{Circa|350&nbsp;BC}}).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sonshi.com/why.html |title=Sun Tzu Biography and Introduction: Sun Tzu The Art of War and Strategy Site by |publisher=Sonshi. Com |access-date=7 November 2010}}</ref> Legendary accounts link the origin of [[Shaolinquan]] to the [[spread of Buddhism]] from [[ancient India]] during the early 5th century [[Common era|CE]], with the figure of [[Bodhidharma]], to China.<ref>Reid, Howard and Croucher, Michael (1983). ''The Way of the Warrior – The Paradox of the Martial Arts''. New York: Overlook Press {{ISBN?}}{{page needed|date=October 2020}}</ref> Written evidence of martial arts in Southern India dates back to the [[Sangam literature]] of about the 2nd century BCE to the 2nd century AD.{{Cn|date=May 2024}} The combat techniques of the [[Sangam period]] were the earliest precursors to [[Kalaripayattu]]<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://spa.exeter.ac.uk/drama/staff/kalari/power.html
| title = Actualizing Power and Crafting a Self in Kalarippayattu
| website = spa.exeter.ac.uk
| access-date = 29 February 2016
}}</ref>

In Europe, the earliest sources of martial arts traditions date to [[Ancient Greece]]. [[Ancient Greek Boxing|Boxing]] (''pygme'', ''pyx''), [[Greek wrestling|wrestling]] (''pale'') and [[pankration]]  were represented in the [[Ancient Olympic Games]]. The [[Roman Empire|Romans]] produced [[Gladiator|gladiatorial combat]] as a public spectacle.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Roman Games, Chariot Races & Spectacle|url=https://www.worldhistory.org/article/635/roman-games-chariot-races--spectacle/|access-date=12 November 2021|website=World History Encyclopedia|language=en}}</ref>

A number of historical [[combat manual]]s have survived from the European [[Middle Ages]]. This includes such styles as [[Historical fencing|sword and shield]], [[two-handed swordfighting]] and other types of melee weapons besides unarmed combat. Amongst these are transcriptions of [[Johannes Liechtenauer]]'s mnemonic poem on the longsword dating back to the late fourteenth century. Likewise, Asian martial arts became well-documented during the medieval period, [[Japanese martial arts]] beginning with the establishment of the [[samurai]] nobility in the 12th century, [[Chinese martial arts]] with [[Ming dynasty|Ming era]] treatises such as [[Ji Xiao Xin Shu]], [[Indian martial arts]] in medieval texts such as the [[Agni Purana]] and the [[Malla Purana]], and [[Korean martial arts]] from the [[Joseon]] era and texts such as [[Muyejebo]] (1598).{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}

European swordsmanship always had a sportive component, but the duel was always a possibility until [[World War I]]. Modern [[fencing|sport fencing]] began developing during the 19th century as the French and Italian military academies began codifying instruction. The Olympic games led to standard international rules, with the Féderation Internationale d'Escrime founded in 1913. Modern boxing originates with [[Jack Broughton]]'s rules in the 18th century, and reaches its present form with the [[Marquess of Queensberry Rules]] of 1867.{{Citation needed|date=March 2021}}