The History and Concept of Bocce Ball

It has been said that the Egyptians played a form of bocce with polished rocks as early as 5000 B.C. The game made it's way to Greece around 800 B.C.. The Romans learned the game from the Greeks, and then it was spread about the empire. The word Bocce derives from the Vulgate Latin bottia. Bottia means boss. The early Romans used coconuts that were brought from Africa and eventually they used hard olive wood to make bocce balls. This particular game became the sport of statesmen and rulers, beginning with Emperor Augustus. It is said from many of the players that the game rejuvenates the body.

Soon-there-after, the game began to threaten the nations. The game was so popular that it interfered with the security of the state. It took too much time away from military exercises. King Carlos IV and V outlawed the playing of bocce and doctors tried to discredit the claim that bocce helped curing rheumatism. The Republic of Venice condemned the sport in 1576. They punished people who played with fines and imprisonment. The Catholic Church also condemned and officially prohibited clergyman from playing by saying bocce was a way to gamble. This game, like many others, thrived in Great Britain. Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Francis Drake greatly enjoyed this game.

The game was introduced in America in the English version that was called bowis. Instead of throwing the ball on stone dust, as it is done today, it was thrown on close cropped grass. President Washington built a court at Mount Vernon in the 1780's! The first bocce clubs were organized in Italy. The first Italian League was formed in 1947. the Bocce World Championships also began that same year.