Ancient and Medieval Board Games
People were playing board games earlier than we have any records. The earliest board
game that we know about for sure, from Pre-dynastic
Egypt, about 3000 BC, is a game called Senet. Senet was like our modern game backgammon. People
also played a game like backgammon in ancient Sumer.
Earliest Liubo game
By 1500 BC, people in Shang
Dynasty China were playing a game called Liubo. We don't really know the rules to Liubo. A little later, about 1400 BC, Second
Intermediate Period people in Egypt seem
to have been playing an early version of the African game Mancala.
After this we don't know about any new board games for almost a thousand years, but then
in 548 BC there were people in China playing Go.
About 400 BC people in China began to play a form of chess, and gradually people in
India learned to play chess, and then people in West
Asia and North Africa. By the Middle Ages, chess reached
Europe, and after 1500 AD Europeans brought chess to North
America.
Athletic games
Dice games
To find out more about ancient and medieval board games, check out these books from Amazon.com or from your library:
Kids
Around the World Play!: The Best Fun and Games from Many Lands,
by Arlette N. Braman (2002). For kids. There are lots of ancient games
in here too, even though the title doesn't say so.
Chinese games (Kung Fu)
Roman games (Gladiators)
West Asian games (Gambling and horse races)
Egyptian games (Dice)
Greek games (Olympics)
Islamic games (Polo and Chess)
Medieval games (Tournaments)
North American games (Lacrosse)
Teacher's Guides for Games
Main Games page
Kidipede - History for Kids home page
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