Ancient Backgammon History
The next time you hold a backgammon set in your hand you might find it really interesting that this game has really ancient beginnings. It has very ancient origins but surprisingly that origin is not restricted to only a single area. The game of backgammon traces its origin and development from different parts of the world! We'll take a look at the early history of backgammon, changes, and versions from different parts of the globe.
Experts of today agree and believe that backgammon originated in the Persian Empire. It is said to have come from Mesopotamia to be exact. Backgammon is by far the oldest board game in recorded history. In ancient times, the game was played on different surfaces, stones were used by markers, and bones, stone, pottery, or wood were used anciently as the primary material for constructing dice.
It is interesting to note that in the early history of backgammon, the game was associated with the aristocracy of ancient cultures. The game at certain times were only available to royalty, talk about playing backgammon like a king.
The history of backgammon can also be traced to Senet. It is an ancient Egyptian board game that plays like a race. There have been game boards that were discovered that has survived even to our day. The "checker pieces" or pawns of these games are interestingly still intact. We also have a painting that dates back to 2686-2613 BCE that has a representation of Senet.
Backgammon also has a bit of Roman history to it. The Ludus Duodecim Scriptorum (The Game of Twelve Lines) is another variant of our present-day backgammon. It has 24 slots and is played using 30 markers -- 15 of which are ebony and the other 15 markers are made of ivory. This somehow has overtones of our modern backgammon game.
When Rome conquered Britain in the first century another shift in backgammon history occurred. It was then known as Tabula. The Roman emperor Claudius wrote a history of Tabula in 50 AD since he became quite fond of it. The imperial carriage had a Tabula board so he could play the game during travel. Unfortunately the history that he wrote didn't survive to our day.
Backgammon also has history in Asia. Even before 800 AD, the board game known then as Nard closely resembles our present-day Backgammon game. There are different names that were used to call the game in this time in Asia.
The name Nard is the Persian name for the wooden board on which the game was played. It is also known as Takhteh Nard or "battle on wood". Nard was known in China as T'shu-p'u around 220-265 AD. The people of Japan called the game as Sugoroku.
The next time you pull out your favorite backgammon set, remember that this is the oldest board game in recorded history. Play it well, and play it like royalty!