The Oldest Board Games

Having a history which stretches to the BC era, board games are different from the other games. What makes them different is the fact that they are played by moving the pieces on the board provided. Though they are relatively relaxing, most of them need strategies and presence of mind as well.

The oldest game is S'n't, Senet or Senat.

King Tutankhamen chose to bury a board game along with him. Many were also found in the tombs found in Egypt. A hieroglyph representing a Senet game was found idolizing a king in the year 3100 BC. Pharaohs as well as workers of Predynastic as well as First Dynasty times played these games.

From 2500 BC the Royal Game of Ur has been quite popular. Sir Leonard Woolley discovered this game in the Royal Tombs of Ur, now called Iraq. Most of the games discovered by him now lie in the British Museum.

Mancala, a game comprising of movement of stones in holes arranged in two parallel rows on the board, has been found in ancient Egyptian tombs as well. Carvings in the form of holes along with stones were found in these tombs. The discovery of mancala in Kenya by Richard Leakey goes back to the Neolithic times. Go or Wei-qi, the Chinese game is one of the oldest board games. Originated in 2300 BC in China, Korea and Japan (in 700 AD), this is the game that has kept the rules constant for long.

So, the next time you play these games, try to think about how they were played in the past and you will be surprised at how interesting the historical aspect of the game will be.