18 – Pretani Associates – Isles of Pretani Series – Pretanic Leisure


With the development of farming resulting in a surplus of food, the Pretani people would now find they had leisure time. As the Pretani lived during a time of relative peace it allowed art, jewellery and music to flourish. Pottery, painting, drawings and other early art forms provided a record of both daily life and cultural mythology. Beads and other types of jewellery were created as external symbols of individual status and group affiliations. Musical instruments were likely created for ritual purposes, to signal warfare and for entertainment.

Games would develop, relieving boredom, creating entertainment, acting as a release for tension and competitiveness. Games would have had traces of warfare, practiced as a form of sport. When an activity was no longer useful in its original form, such as archery and horse riding for hunting or warfare, it became a form of sport, offering individuals and groups the opportunity to prove physical skill and strategy. Often, the origin for such activities was a religious ritual, in which games or drama were played to symbolize the continuing human struggle.