By Brady Smith 

Bocce is widely considered to be the one of the world's oldest sports. The origins of the game can be traced to ancient Egypt and hieroglyphics on tomb walls, which depicted the Egyptians tossing rocks at a specific target. According to historians, the game evolved from using polished stones to throwing the rounded balls that are used in today's form of bocce.

While the popularity of the game had spread rapidly throughout Europe by the late 1500s, it was Italy that truly adopted bocce as a favorite pastime. Despite several crackdowns by the government and Catholic Church, who viewed the game as a gateway to gambling, bocce would continue to thrive for hundreds of years.

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Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/