Ancient Board Games Simulating War Strategies And Predicting Afterlife
Ancient Board Games Simulating War Strategies And Predicting Afterlife
Ancient Board Games Simulating War Strategies And Predicting Afterlife
By Martini Fisher
March 06, 2021
Summary
MartiniF. Board games provide humanity with entertainment, distraction and exercise for the mind whether they are played on the ground, on the floor or on wooden boards.
Luckily, board games have been a part of humanity for a very long time as they were played and developed in most cultures and societies throughout history.
One of the oldest board games known to have existed, the ancient Egyptian board game Senet, was pictured in a fresco found in Merknera's tomb.
The familiar game of chess can be traced back to the Indian game of Chaturanga, described in texts from the seventh century AD as a game simulating a battle between the four arms of the Indian army, which were all deployed in battle as decided by the commanders according to factors such as the weather, terrain and the composition of forces.
In Europe, the oldest records of board games date back to Homer's Iliad in which he mentions the Ancient Greek game of Petteia, an attrition warfare game.
"Petteia would later evolve into the ancient Roman two-player game of military tactic Ludus Latrunculorum.
The ancient Norse game of Hnefatafl, played on a chequered gameboard with two armies, was developed sometime before 400 AD and appeared in such far-flung locations as Scotland, Norway and Iceland.
The rediscovery of the game which became known as The Royal Game of Ur dates to British archaeologist Sir Leonard Woolley's excavation of the Royal Cemetery in the ancient Mesopotamian city of Ur between 1922 and 1934.
Five boards were unearthed, the most impressive of which featured shell plaque squares encircled by strips of lapis lazuli and decorated with intricate floral and geometric designs.
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Reference
Fisher, M. (2021, March 06). Ancient board games simulating war strategies and predicting afterlife. Retrieved June 08, 2021, from https://www.ancient-origins.net/history/board-games-0015018