The ancient invention that ignited game play (2021)

原始链接: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20210318-the-ancient-invention-that-ignited-game-play

Pinpointing the absolute first dice games is impossible without durable materials like stone or bone, according to Ulrich Schädler. Among the earliest verifiable games is "20 squares," resembling backgammon, where players raced counters across a 20-square board with safe and shared spaces. Examples exist across North Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent, most notably the Royal Game of Ur from ancient Mesopotamia (mid-3rd millennium BC). Discovered by Finkel, the Ur board, adorned with seashell mosaics and played with pyramid-shaped dice, is housed in the British Museum. Around the same period, Egyptians played Senet, with well-preserved boards found in pharaohs' tombs and depicted in wall paintings. While the Ur board is elaborate, simpler versions were etched into stone or even the ground. Schädler emphasizes that understanding the evolution of these early games is challenging due to the ephemeral nature of simpler versions. Therefore, elaborate boards and illustrations offer the best insights, primarily found in advanced ancient civilizations like Egypt, Ur, and the Indus Valley.

Hacker Newsnew | past | comments | ask | show | jobs | submitloginThe ancient invention that ignited game play (2021) (bbc.com)9 points by bearsyankees 2 days ago | hide | past | favorite | 2 comments tasuki 1 day ago [–] A tangent:> Children play Go, an ancient game still enjoyed todayThat ain't go. It's a go board all right. The shapes are not go-like and there's a stone that would be captured already.The shapes look like gomoku, but there's five in a row already and they're still playing.So, what are they playing?replyzikzak 1 day ago | parent [–] If you ignore the black piece that should be captured, it's a legit Go game. A configuration that would probably never occur in real life but noone would ever place a Go board on their leg like that.I'd file this under the same category as fast food burger advertising images and move on?reply Consider applying for YC's Fall 2025 batch! Applications are open till Aug 4 Guidelines | FAQ | Lists | API | Security | Legal | Apply to YC | Contact Search:

Knowing exactly which games played with dice came first is impossible, says Ulrich Schädler, director of the Swiss Museum of Games, unless the materials were carved in stone or bone. Some of the earliest games we can be certain about include one called "20 squares" in which players race counters across a board of 20 squares, some of which are safe, some of which are shared with your opponent, giving them a chance to send your counter back to the start. The game has been likened to backgammon.

Versions of this game have been found in North Africa, the Middle East and Indian subcontinent, the most notable example of which is the Royal Game of Ur, named after the ancient city in Mesopotamia (now Iraq). The Ur board, inlaid with a mosaic made of seashells and played using a pyramid-shaped die, dates to the mid-third millennium BC and is on display at the British Museum. It was Finkel who uncovered its rules.

Another game called senet was played in Egypt around the same time. Several well-preserved boards have been found in tombs of the pharaohs and pictured in wall paintings.

But Schädler says that games like this were not just played by royalty. The Ur board is exquisite, but simple boards were scratched into stone or even the earth. He says it is difficult to know how earlier versions of these games developed if they were played on the earth with pebbles, so boards made for the rich left in burial chambers and illustrations on walls provide the best materials to work from.

"Things like that only appear in the high ancient civilisations like Egypt, Ur and the Indus Valley [around modern-day Pakistan and Afghanistan]," says Schädler.