Hearing ancient board games, you might have remembered Ludo and Chess, but this is just a popular board game of today's era. Have you ever wondered, the chess that we play today when will be made and for how long people must have been playing chess. And this is just a matter of India, but there are so many board games on the earth made by our ancestors for many years. Games played by our ancestors are played by people even now and also most of board games are do not played now. From ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia to China, Greece, and beyond, civilizations have developed a rich tapestry of board games, each with its unique rules, strategies, and cultural significance.
So in today's blog We'll discover how these games were not only sources of entertainment but also tools for education, social interaction, and even religious rituals.
1) Senet (oldest known board games)
Origin: Ancient Egypt around 3500 BCE
Look like: The game consists of a board with 30 squares arranged in three rows of ten. Each player has a set of game pieces and the goal is to move them across the board and off the last square.
How to play :
Players take turns rolling dice or throwing sticks to determine how many squares their pieces can move. The movement is based on the number they get. The game involves strategy and luck, as players try to block their opponent's pieces and advance their own.
Senet was not just a game for entertainment; it also had a spiritual significance for the ancient Egyptians. They believed that the game represented the journey of the soul through the afterlife. Winning the game was associated with a successful passage into the next life.
It's a Egyptian board game which means "game of passing through" in ancient time just because it's aim is to get from one end of board to the other.
2) Royal game of UR.
Origin : Mesopotamia, which is present-day Iraq, around 4,500 year
Still played
Look like - The game board consists of a rectangular grid divided into 20 squares, arranged in two columns of five rows each. The squares are marked with different symbols and are connected by a path that forms a "racecourse" around the board.
How to play :
The objective of the game is to move all of your pieces from one end of the board to the other. Each player has seven game pieces, which are usually small cone-shaped markers. Players take turns rolling four-sided pyramid-shaped dice, known as tetrahedra, to determine the movement of their pieces.
The movement of the pieces is determined by the result of the dice roll. Players can move their pieces along the path, trying to avoid their opponent's pieces and strategically positioning their own pieces to block their opponent's progress. If a player lands on a square where their opponent's piece is already there, the opponent's piece goes back to the beginning.
The game was popular in ancient Mesopotamia and has been found in various archaeological sites across the region.
While the exact rules of the game are not fully known, historians and archaeologists have made educated guesses based on the game boards and pieces discovered.
3) Mehen
Origin: ancient Egyptian board game, around 2650-2134 BCE
Look like: The game was typically played on a rectangular board that resembled a coiled serpent or a maze.
How to play : The rules of Mehen are not entirely clear, as the game was not extensively documented. However, it is believed that players would take turns rolling dice or casting sticks to determine the number of spaces they could move their pieces. The objective was to reach the center of the board, which represented the final destination or victory.
Mehen is believed to have been a symbolic representation of the journey to the afterlife, as the serpent was associated with protection and rebirth in ancient Egyptian culture. The game's name, "Mehen," translates to "coiled one" or "the snake," reflecting the snake-like appearance of the game board.
3) Go
Origin : China, thousands of years ago
Look like : a square grid board with a size of 19x19 intersections, although smaller boards of 9x9 and 13x13 are also commonly used.
How to play :
The objective of the game is to gain more territory than your opponent by strategically placing your stones on the board. The board starts empty, and players take turns to place their stones, one at a time, on the intersections of the board. The stones are usually made of black and white stones, representing the two players.
In Go, the main aim is to encircle and catch the stones of your opponent while making sure to safeguard your own stones.Stones are captured when they are completely surrounded and have no empty intersections adjacent to them. After being caught, the stones are taken off the board. The game ends when both players agree that no more useful moves can be made, and the winner is determined by calculating the territory each player has on the board.
Go is known for its simple rules but complex strategy. It is a game of balance between attacking and defending, as well as anticipating your opponent's moves.
4 ) Chess
Origin: northern India , 6th century and still played.
Look like : a square board divided into 64 smaller squares of alternating colors.
How to play: The chessboard is divided into ranks (rows) and files (columns). The pieces can move in specific patterns. For example, the pawn moves forward, but captures diagonally. The rook moves straight across or up and down, the bishop moves in a slanting direction, and the knight moves in a shape like the letter L. The queen has the most freedom of movement, able to move in any direction.
The objective of chess is to capture the opponent's king, a powerful piece on the board. Every player begins the game with 16 game pieces. These include a king, a queen, two rooks, two knights, two bishops, and eight pawns. The pieces have different abilities and movements, and each player takes turns moving one of their pieces.
The game is played strategically, with players aiming to protect their own pieces while planning attacks on the opponent's pieces.
Chess requires critical thinking, foresight, and decision-making skills. It is often considered a sport of the mind. Chess tournaments, matches, and clubs exist worldwide, and the game is even played at a professional level.
Chess is not only a game but also a source of intellectual stimulation, creativity, and entertainment.
5) Backgammon.
Origin : Mesopotamia and Persia, back nearly 5,000 years
Look like: The board is divided into four quadrants, each with six points. The points are numbered from 1 to 24 in a specific order.
How to play:
At the beginning of the game, each player starts with 15 checkers placed on the board in a predetermined arrangement. The players take turns rolling dice and moving their checkers based on the numbers rolled. The dice decide how many points a player can move their checkers. The numbers rolled on the dice show how far the checkers can go.
A player can move their checkers forward along the board in a clockwise direction. The goal is to move your checkers to your home board and then bear them off the board.
However, the game is not just about moving your checkers. It also involves strategic thinking and decision-making. Players can block their opponent's checkers, hit them, and try to create favorable positions on the board.
The game continues until one player successfully bears off all their checkers from the board. The person who does it first is the winner of the game.
These are just a few examples of the many ancient board games that have been played throughout history. Each game has its own unique rules and strategies, and many of them are still popular today.
That's it for today thank you 🙏
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