Playing games is a great way to socialize with friends and pass time in an enjoyable way.
Humans recognized this a long time ago before there was the Nintendo or the PlayStation.
Games also became important cultural and social bonding events, as well as teaching tools.
Having evolved from the same family, one can assume that prehistoric humans behaved pretty much the same way.
Excavation of Egyptian tombs and Mesopotamian graves have unearthed dozens of dice and knucklebones made from animal bones.
These could have been used either for fortune telling or gaming or both.
Games involving dice are mentioned in the ancient Indian Rigveda, Atharvaveda, Mahabharata and Buddhist games list.
There are also several biblical references to dicing.
Dice games were very popular among Romans and the ancient Greek.
In the far east, games such as dominoes and playing cards originated in China.
Chaturanga evolved into modern chess.
Here are some ancient board games that have been played for millennia.
Many Senet game boards have been found in various Egyptian tombs, including in the Tomb of Tutankhamun.
Senet gaming board inscribed for Amenhotep III with separate sliding drawer, circa 1390-1353 BCE.
The players strategically moved their pieces based on the throw of sticks or bones.
The goal was to reach the edge of the board first.
Senet slowly evolved to reflect the religious beliefs of the Egyptians.
The pieces represented human souls and their movement was based on the journey of the soul in the afterlife.
Painting in the tomb of Egyptian Queen Nefertari shows the queen playing Senet.
The tablet described in detail how the game was played.
One player takes five jackal heads, and other player takes five dog heads.
The game was invented 4,000 years ago in ancient Egypt and was mainly popular in the Middle Kingdom.
It spread to Mesopotamia in the late 3rd millennium BC and was popular until the 1st millennium BC.
Pachisi
The game Pachisi originated in Ancient India.
It is played on a board shaped like a symmetrical cross.
The objective is to move a players pieces completely around the board before their opponents do.
The game is described in the ancient text Mahabharata under the name of Pasha.
Many modern version of the Pachisi exist today, such as Ludo and Parcheesi.
Hand-made beaded board game set (Pachisi), from the Collection of the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
A Go board excavated from a tomb of the Sui dynasty (581618 CE).
Although visually it resemble chess or draughts, it is generally accepted to be a game of military tactics.
The name of the game, Ludus Latrunculorum, means The Game of Mercenaries.
Not much is known about the game’s rules and basic structure because of the scarcity of sources.
Ludus latrunculorum found at Housesteads Roman Fort or Roman Corbridge, circa 2nd-3rd century CE.
Photo: Historic England Archive.
Nine Mens Morris
Nine Mens Morris is another game popular in Ancient Rome and the medieval period.
No one really knows where and when the game originated.
It has been estimated to be 3,400 years old.
There is only one copy of this game in the world.
Four ivory gaming pieces were found nearby.
The rules of the game is unknown.
The game probably dates to about 1600 BCE.
Knossos Game, Heraklion Archaeological Museum, Crete, Greece.
Photo:Garrett Ziegler/ancientboardgames.org
Mehen
Mehen is an ancient Egyptian game, dating to about 3000 BC.
The games name is a reference to the Egyptian snake-god Mehen.
The game disappeared from use after the end of the Old Kingdom, about 2300 BCE.
Game of the Snake, Egyptian Museum of Berlin.
Photo:Anagoria/Wikimedia Commons
Patolli
Patolli is one of the oldest known games in America.
It was a game of strategy and luck played by commoners and nobles alike.
The game was played wide range of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican cultures and were known all over Mesoamerica.
Patolli game being watched by Macuilxochitl as depicted on the Codex Magliabechiano.
