Hopscotch revisited

Hopscotch. The game. You remember. But how far back? On this fascinating, historically accurate, folklorishly relevant webpage, Dagonell the Juggler informs us that "Hopscotch began in ancient Britain during the early Roman Empire. The original hopscotch courts were over 100 feet long and used for military training exercises. Roman foot-soldiers ran the course in full armor and field packs to improve their footwork, much the same way modern football players run through rows of truck tires today." Hopscotch? That girls' game?

John Cech tells us that at one time hopscotch "ultimately reflected the journey of the human soul from the world into heaven -- heaven (or as it is sometimes called, Sky Blue) literally being that final resting place that you get to at the end of all the hopping. Interestingly enough, it's that place where you get to turn around before coming back down to earth again."

Studying the different designs for hopscotch courts is almost as fascinating as trying to determine its origins. For yet more, in addition to those depicted on Dagonell's site. See Hopscotch from Around the World.

And for Hopscotch being for girls, Alex Johnson in his excellent Village Games notes that even in the early 20th Century boys and girls both played hopscotch. So it never was really a girls' game. And it still isn't. So there.