Backgammon history
Backgammon is known as the oldest game in the history of the world. It is believed by scientists that backgammon has his roots in Mesopotamia, the land of the Persian Empire; know today as Iran, Iraq and Syria. Backgammon came a long way. It was not invented in only one day it has evolved through time and reached the point where it is today. The game was played in Mesopotamia on different surfaces, like wood for example. The markers were stones. The dice were usually made of stone, bones, pottery or wood. Backgammon can be traced in history, thousands of years back to board games played by the Sumerians, Egyptians, Romans and Persians.
Archeologists found in Egypt different gaming boards. These boards had 3x6, 3x10 or 3x12 squares. This game is known in history as the "game of thirty squares" or Senet. These gaming boards are really old, dating back from 3000 to 1778 BC and the rules of the game are not known today. Also, in a royal tomb from Ur, scientists found boards made of wood that date somewhere around the year 2600 BC. This game is known as royal game of Ur". Some rules for this game were found written on a tablet with cuneiforms and it is believed that it was made in 177 BC.
Early forms of backgammon have been played for centuries in many parts of the globe, but especially in Egypt, Greece and Roman Empire. The Romans left behind many evidences to sustain this theory. Roman played a very popular game at their times, called "Ludus duodecim scriptorium", also known as the game of the 12 lines (it had 3 rows of 12 lines). Scientists are taking in consideration the possibility that this roman game derived from the Senet of the Egyptians. The rules have not been fully discovered yet. During the first century AD, this game has been replaced with another variation that had only 2 rows of 12 lines, called by the end of the sixth century Alea. These sorts of games were also called by the Romans "tabula" which means "board-game".
In Chinese history, the game of Nard is mentioned to have been invented in the west part of India and came to China during the Wei Dynasty and became really popular 200 years after it arrived here, somewhere between 479 and 1000 AD. In Japan the same game is known under another name, Sugoroko. Sugoroko was declared illegal during the reign of a famous empress, named Jito that ruled Japan between 690 and 697. Nard arrived in Europe through Italy and Spain after the Arabs occupied Sicily in 902. The game was first mentioned in the codex Exoniensis in 1025 with another name, "tables". It is believed that tables was brought to the shores of England by the soldiers returning home from the Crusades.
Backgammon has an amazing road through history. It reached many cultures and civilizations, every one of them leaving their prints on this game. The result is today's backgammon. It is not the most popular game in the world, but it has its place up there through the most popular ones. The modern man and his necessities created another form of the game, online backgammon. The traditional game of backgammon is transferred in a virtual world of online gambling. The classical form of backgammon is not loosing ground yet in front of the online version of the game, but the progress, our lives, the time, make people take into consideration the fact that they can play backgammon online fast and easy.
All in all, backgammon is a fascinating experience, a captivating game which will surely be popular in the future too. It has not been forgotten for so many years through its path through the world, it will surely not be forgotten from now on.
