The earliest form of pole vaulting was most likely a simple way to get from here to there. Although there are plenty of art objects and writings that depict ancient civilizations using poles to fight, climb, or mount a horse, it's unclear whether the Greeks and Egyptians attached any sport-related significance to their efforts. Anecdotes relate pole vaulting to other early civilizations such as the Chinese and Aborigine, but without clear written evidence, educated guesses as to the sport's origin are the best modern research can provide.
Early Evidence
In a revised version of a master's thesis on the origins of pole vaulting archived at California's University of the Pacific, authors Jan Johnson, Russ VerSteeg and Ray Kring note that pole vaulting might have been used as long ago as 2500 B.C. Ancient Egyptians used poles in siege warfare and in religious rituals. The Greeks did not include pole vaulting in the ancient Olympic games, but ancient writings and paintings depict Greek men using poles to leap onto horses.
Irish Origins
According to Johnson, VerSteeg and Kring, the first documented pole vaulting competition took place at the Tailteann Games in Ireland in 1829 BC. The authors speculate that because the topography of Ireland is full of bogs, streams and other treacherous landscape features, pole vaulting was probably a practical way to cover a great deal of ground quickly and safely. These Tailteann Games were held in County Meath from 1829 BC through 554 BC; they are documented in a 12th century manuscript called the "Book of Leinster."
German Innovation
Johann Christoph Friedrich Gutsmuths is credited by many as the founder of modern pole vaulting. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, he codified the principles, standards and techniques for pole vaulting as a valuable physical exercise. According to Johnson, VerSteeg and Kring, Gutsmuths taught at Germany's Salzmann Institute, an Enlightenment-era institution influenced by philosophers Locke and Rousseau, both of whom believed in man's natural abilities and goodness.
Dutch Tradition
A traditional Dutch sport called fierljeppen might be the ancestor of modern pole vaulting. Inhabitants of a province called Friesland use poles to catapult themselves across frozen canals. Challenging to say the least, the sport requires participants to get a running start from the bank of a canal, jump onto a pole mounted in the center of the canal and fling oneself onto the other side for a safe landing. Although fierljeppen is now a sport, author John Roney notes in "Culture and Customs of the Netherlands" that it's extremely likely this activity began as a mode of transportation, allowing Frisian farmers to quickly cross the region's many canals.
The Truth
The truth about pole vaulting's origins remains shrouded in the mystery of time. The most likely answer is that multiple cultures discovered they could transport themselves over obstacles such as tar pits, bogs or chasms using long, strong poles.
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