Nobody knows how long the art of sand castle building has existed, and there is some conjecture that the ancient Egyptians built
pyramid models out of sand. The Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus, born circa 535 BCE, wrote a treatise entitled On Nature,
which was a book inscribed on a single roll of papyrus, which he deposited at the Artemisium in Ephesus, the great temple dedicated
to Artemis. This treatise included the following quote:
“History is a child building a sand-castle by the sea, and that child is the whole majesty of man's power in the world.”
The earliest modern known mention to date in print is found in the 1838 children's book titled “Conversations of a Father with His
Children, Volume 2” which was composed as a Christian educational story for teaching in England. Above is an illustration from the
book, showing a father and his children engaged in the building of a sand castle near what appears to be the Cliffs of Dover. A search
of Google Books will bring up a free copy to read.
In the section entitled Conversation III – The Sand-Castle, we find a father in discourse with his children about building a sand-
castle. Daughter Mary mentions that Papa has told them stories about building sand castles as a boy, which effectively gives us an
earlier timeline for sand castle building, at least in Great Britain. If Papa is at least 35 years old then we now know that he was
building sand castles at least as early as 1808. Since going to the seashore for leisure started to become a popular activity in the 17 th
century it is possible that sand castles were being built in Great Britain as early as the 1600's.
By the end of the 19 th century sand castle building had become so popular that contests became a regular feature at many a seaside
resort, with adults often surpassing the number of children participating.
Today, sand sculpting and sand castle building have been major competitive events around the world, with some of the largest taking
place in Canada, Australia and the United States. Some entrepid artists have even become professional sand sculptors, taking on
assignments from large companies and corporations wishing to promote their name, event or product.
To learn more about sand castle and sand sculpting events near you please visit: http://www.sandcastlecentral.com/
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