Ancient History of Board Games

Board games have been around for centuries, with some of the earliest known examples dating back to 4000 BC. The history of board games is long and varied, with many different cultures and civilizations playing their unique versions.

Ancient Egyptians first used board games for fortune-telling, religious rituals, and even gambling. This is known because the history of ancient Egyptian games dates back to 1450 B.C., back when they were carved out of stone.

The Egyptians were the first people to realize the vast potential of board games. In their culture, they were viewed as mediators between humans and gods. To demonstrate their ability in this role, they trained young boys in how to play games with dice and sticks. If a boy could master the art of learning these games, then he was seen as a future leader.

Soon enough, ancient Egyptian board games became a form of art used to help the Egyptians connect with their gods. One such game called Senet is thought to be the oldest board game that we have records of until today. Archaeologists discovered a set in a tomb from approximately 3000 B.C.; traces of it have been found in many other tombs. In some ancient Egyptian games, pieces moved along a track, just as they do in Senet.

The oldest known board game is Senet, found in the tomb of King Senetamon (Sene or Sanehat) from 100 B.C. From 1700 B.C. Archaeologists discovered this game in a tomb at Beni-Hasan in Egypt, where it had been preserved as a charred wooden object. Senet is today found represented in a replica at The British Museum in London.

Board games quickly became a form of entertainment that everybody enjoyed, from pole-vaulters to housewives. They remained popular until video games replaced them in the 20th century. But they didn't disappear; they found new homes all over Europe, Asia, and Africa.

While graphics and sound set a video game apart from a board game, these two forms of entertainment have more in common than one might think. Ancient Egyptian board games were mainly played as a form of gambling, which we also do when playing video games. And similarly to how we put hours into our next big video game release, the Egyptians made their board games more extensive and more complex with each generation.

Because it was so popular and widespread, the game of Senet has many variations. The two most common kinds of games are Senet-like games, which have rules similar to the Egyptian game, and non-Senet-like games with entirely different directions. There are over seventy different variations on this ancient Egyptian board game.

Moreover, there are various games known from the Aztec Empire and other ancient civilizations of Central America. For example, the patolli required pebbles, a mat painted with squares in an X or cross, and several large beans, marked on one face by a dot or hole. The player would toss the beans, and how they landed determined the score. In addition, the number of squares players could move their pebbles along the mat. Competitors and onlookers bet on the outcomes, often invoking Macuilxochitl, god of games, for luck. People convened from far-flung territories on feast days and gambled with valuable exotic goods.

In conclusion, the history of board games is a treasure trove of information, rich in human history and culture. The ancient game of Senet has a rich history and remains to this day as one of the most popular board games ever. The various ancient board games that we have developed over time help us look into the past and understand where we came from. They also show us how culture and entertainment progressed throughout the ages.