4000 year old board game discovered by archaeologists
In December 2021, a team of archaeologists in Oman discovered a board game that is about 4000 years old. They assume that it could be a precursor of today's backgammon.
A December 2021 excavation focused on the Bronze Age found evidence that copper was traded in the Quamayrah Valley in Oman. However, the report by the Polish Center of Mediterranean Archaeology at the University of Warsaw focuses not on a copper smelter that was found, but on a board game.
Source: J. Sliwa/PCMA UW
In one of the rooms we’ve found… a game-board! Such finds are rare, but several examples are known from India, Mesopotamia and even the Eastern Mediterranean basin. The most famous example of a game-board based on a similar principle is the one from the graves from Ur.
Experts are still puzzled by the game that was found. However, it has similarities with a famous game from antiquity: the Royal Game of Ur. This game was popular until late antiquity, but after that it loses its traces. Experts believe that the board game then evolved into an early version of today's backgammon.
