History of the Physical Dimension

A glance through historyHistory illustrates that from the dawn of civilisation, primitive man had to be very physically active to survive (Duncan & WatsonWatson, John B., 1960). During ancient times, physical education (PE) was given considerable emphasis by the SpartansSpartans, where PE was state-regulated, age-determined and involved similar experiences for men and women, boys and girls (Phillips and Roper, Kirk et al.Macdonald et al.O’Sullivan (eds), The handbook of physical education, Sage Publications, 2006). However, PE has always been philosophically associated with more than just the physical dimension and as this chapter explores has always been closely connected to wellbeing.