most intense sports of the ancient world

Although today it is practiced around the world, this lethal martial art was born on the ancient battlefields of what is today known as Thailand. Commonly referred to as the Art of Eight Limbs practitioners use not just their feet and hands but their elbows and knees as well.

The national sport of Afghanistan, this game involves a number of mounted players fighting over the carcass of a headless goat after which each player tries to pitch it across a goal line.

Spartans hated sports. To be honest they thought sports were for sissies. In fact, Tyrtaios, the great Spartan war poet even wrote about how unimpressive athletic achievement was. According to him a man is not good in warfare unless he dares look upon bloody slaughter and to a Spartan if you aren t good in warfare then you aren t worth the air you breathe. It was for this reason that most of the Spartan competitions were so mindboggingly brutal.

Essentially one big game of tug of war, the Vikings preferred using animal skin over rope and playing over a huge fire pit. Usually the winners would walk away with the spoils of the town they had just plundered which often included rape rights to the women. As you may have guessed the losers become intimately acquainted with the fire pit.

Although this sport is still popular in parts of Central America, the original game created by the Mayans is hands down probably the most insane sport on this list if not all of human history. Something like basketball, the players would bounce the balls off their hips and attempt to the get the ball through a hoop attached to the wall. The crazy part? Many times the balls were constructed out of human skulls. And in case you were wondering where they got the skulls from, all you d have to do to find out is stick around until the end of the match. Let s just say the losers make a donation.