Board games originated as exclusive pastime for the elites, and probably spread across Europe during Roman conquest, a new study has revealed.
The study revealed that the board games apparently originated and disseminated from Egypt and the Fertile Crescent regions at around 3500 BC. From there, they spread around the Mediterranean before reaching the Roman Empire and what is now Europe.
“Many of the first board games appear to have been diplomatic gifts to signify status,” the Discovery News quoted co-author Mark Hall as saying. “We have early examples of quite splendid playing pieces belonging to elite, privileged people,” he said.
According to Hall, the world’s oldest known board game could be ‘The Royal Game of Ur’ also known as the Game of Twenty Squares. It was unearthed in the Royal Tombs of Ur in Iraq. Although the earliest rules for the games are still unknown, it is thought to have been a predecessor to today’s backgammon.
The researchers asserted that, in the U.K., no archaeological evidence supports the existence of board games until the first century BC.
“Although the board games followed on the coattails of the Roman conquest of Europe, they came to reflect the cultural and social contexts of particular regions,” Hall said.
Bruce Whitehill, founder of the Association of Game and Puzzle Collectors and the inventor of numerous board games, added that the source of many ancient games may also be traced to China and India.
“The Game of India, one of the most widely played games in the world, is centuries old, though its date of origin is still a matter of speculation,” he said.
The study has been published in the journal Antiquity.
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