Miniature chess table (1901/1999)Salar Jung Museum
Games which have stood the test of play-time
If you think that board games are a nostalgic pastime of the 20th century, you might be surprised to learn that the nostalgia goes way back further than the last 100 years. The elements that make up our modern-day board games have been around for about 5000 years. Here are 5 examples of ancient games that (in one way or another) still adorn our Friday night table tops.
Miniature chess table, 1901/1999 (From the collection of Salar Jung Museum)
Dice
The earliest evidence of our fascination with games dates back 5,000 years ago. Archaeologists excavating the city of Shahr-i Sokhta in present day Iran unearthed some small carved stones: the first ever dice.
Roman dice (1/100) by UnknownMuseo de Cádiz
Roman dice, by Unknown, 1/100 (From the collection of the Museo de Museo de Cádiz)
As for the shape of these ancient dice, by the time the Roman Empire rolled around, dice had begun to resemble the six-sided cubes we recognize from games like Monopoly, Clue, and Yahtzee today.
Ancient dice were made of many common materials: wood, stone, ivory, brass, glass, marble, and, gruesomely, knuckle bones. Probably not something you’d find in your toy aisle today.
Gaming PiecesOriginal Source: Independence National Historical Park, National Park Service
Gaming pieces (From the collection of the National Constitution Center)
Senet
The Egyptians created one of the earliest board games on record: Senet. Historians have yet to uncover the actual rules governing how the game was played, or even to fully comprehend its purpose, though it seems to have been related to Egyptian concepts of “fate”, and the gods’ and humankind's journey into the afterlife.
Senet game (-1400/-1200)British Museum
Senet game, -1400/-1200 (From the collection of British Museum)
Board game:Senet (ca. 1950) by Parker BrothersThe Strong National Museum of Play
Board game:Senet, ca. 1950, Parker Brothers (From the collection of The Strong National Museum of Play)
One of the more popular fans of the game was none other than King Tut himself, with several versions of the Senet game set buried with him in his tomb. Perhaps for a bit of fun in the afterlife.
King Tut (1922)LIFE Photo Collection
King Tut, 1922 (From the collection of LIFE Photo Collection)
Backgammon
Chances are you may have tried your luck at a 5000-year-old game yourself — backgammon. Early versions of this board game with dice were found in Iran (then known as Persia) and Iraq (then known as Mesopotamia) thousands of years ago, known as the ‘Royal Game of Ur’.
The Royal Game of Ur (-2600/-2400)British Museum
The Royal Game of Ur, -2600/-2400 (From the collection of British Museum)
Backgammon’s mixture of strategy and luck stood the test of time. The game became so popular among Roman emperors that Emperor Claudius even had one of the first ‘portable backgammon’ games built for his horse and carriage, so he could play while traveling. The ancients liked road trip entertainment as much as anyone today.
The Backgammon Players, Theodoor Rombouts, 1634 (From the collection of North Carolina Museum of Art)
Chess
It is unclear where the exact origins of the game of chess, as we know it today, lie. Some believe it originates in 6th-century India, other historians trace its origins to China as a game called Xiang Qi. In any case, the game itself wasn’t exactly like modern chess, but it was pretty similar — a two player game, with its roots lying in war strategy.
Chess Problem (late 14th century) by UnknownThe J. Paul Getty Museum
Chess Problem, Unknown, late 14th century (From the collection of The J. Paul Getty Museum)
Fabergé Kuropatkin Chess Set, Board and Case (1905) by Karl Gustav Hjalmar Armfeldt and FabergéWorld Chess Hall of Fame, Saint Louis, Missouri
Fabergé Kuropatkin Chess Set, Board and Case, Karl Gustav Hjalmar Armfeldt and Fabergé, 1905 (From the collection of World Chess Hall of Fame, Saint Louis, Missouri)
The current form of chess as we know it today, is similar to that of the 15th-century medieval European version, renaming the pieces and changing the rules slightly to get the two opposing sides to come into contact with each other sooner, and to get the actual battle started from the get-go.
The Game of Chess (c. 1530 - c. 1532) by Giulio CampiPalazzo Madama
The Game of Chess, Giulio Campic. 1530 - c. 1532 (From the collection of Palazzo Madama)
Cards
Card games date all the way back to 1000 CE in Central Asia, with cards looking more like dominos than the cards we know today. The King and Queen and four-suited cards that now adorn the green tabletops of late night poker games took about 1000 years to develop.
Pack of playing cardsBritish Museum
Pack of playing cards (From the collection of British Museum)
History has seen plenty of suits that didn’t make the modern final cut, such as leaves, acorns, and hawk bells, as designed by the Germans. To no surprise, the heart stayed true to the game and still remains today. And if we still hail the queen and king of the deck, we have Italians and Spaniards to thank for that, as the cards are modeled after Latin suit systems. But the final design of spade, heart, diamond and clubs are all French.
Kids playing with cards (1876/1877) by Rafael Romero BarrosMuseo de Bellas Artes de Córdoba
Kids playing with cards, by Rafael Romero Barros, 1876/1877 (From the collection of Museo de Bellas Artes de Córdoba)
Next time you turn your hand to a board game on a rainy evening, think back to the thousands of years of history that brought it to the present day.
