Since prehistoric times, people have played games – playful contests involving mental or physical skill. In ancient times, as now, most games were played according to set rules. Many games required equipment such as dice and counters or bats and balls.
Sports are physical games played by teams or individuals competing against one another. Ancient people played sports and games for fun, relaxation, or for a challenge. In some societies, sports and games had a more serious meaning. For example, in ancient Greece the Olympic Games and other organized competitions were held on religious festivals, as sometimes also happened in ancient Egypt. In a few civilizations, including the Olmecs of Central America, games were taken so seriously that the losing side was killed.
Games of Skill
As well as physical sports, adults and children around the world also played less active games, including games of skill and board games. Knucklebones is a game of skill similar to the modern game of jacks. Players tossed small sheep bones into the air and caught them on the backs of their hands. In ancient Rome knucklebones was called astragali. In Greece it was very popular among women. Marbles was another game of skill played in many countries, including Greece, Rome, and Egypt. In Rome players rolled glass or pottery marbles along the ground onto a marked board or even tossed them into jars.
Board Games
Board games have been played for at least 4,500 years. One of the oldest game boards yet discovered dates back to 2500 BCE. It was found in the city of Ur in Mesopotamia (present-day Iraq). Like many board games, it seems to have been a race game, similar to modern backgammon. Players probably took turns to throw a die and race their counters (game pieces) to the finish.
In ancient Ur and elsewhere board games often involved an element of luck, introduced by tossing dice or marked sticks. Dice made of bone, pottery, or seeds have been found in many different places, including Greece, Egypt, and Rome. Some dice games involved gambling. Roman dice have been found weighted with lead so that a certain number would come up more often. The Romans enjoyed gambling so much that eventually it was banned, except during the winter festival of Saturnalia when the rule was relaxed.
In ancient Egypt two board games, the snake game and senet, were very popular. In the snake game, players took turns moving their counters around a board shaped like a coiled serpent. The winner was the first player to reach the snake’s head in the middle. In senet, players raced each other to the kingdom of the god Osiris around a square board marked with symbols. Lucky players landed on squares representing useful qualities, such as power and beauty. Unlucky players landed on dangers, such as fierce hippos. Four beautifully made senet boards were found in the tomb of the young pharaoh Tutankhamen, which was discovered in 1922.
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TOUGH PHYSICAL SPORTS AND MORE RESTFUL BOARD GAMES WERE BOTH VERY POPULAR IN ANCIENT GREECE. THE GREEK PHILOSOPHER PLATO WROTE, A man should spend his whole life at play.
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In China the game of go, or weiqi, has been played for at least two thousand years. It is played on a square board with two sets of counters. Players try to capture as much territory as possible by surrounding it with their counters. The game requires the ability to plan several moves ahead.
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TOYS |
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Children from many different ancient civilizations had fun with toys. Similar toys that seem to be loved almost everywhere include dolls, toy animals, puzzles, and balls. Dolls made from clay, wood, hide, rags, and even metal have been found in many regions, as well as in the tombs of Greek, Roman, and Egyptian children. In ancient times dolls’ hair was made of beads, string, or animal hair, sewn on with thread or sinew. Dolls with movable arms and legs date back to about 600 CE. Pull toys such as carts and animals on wheels have also been found in many different places, including the Indus valley in India. In ancient Egypt toys with moving parts such as jaws and tails were enjoyed by children. Egyptian finds also include a lion whose jaws snap shut when the child pulled on a string and a mouse with a quivering tail. In Rome the children of the wealthy might be given a miniature chariot to ride in. These toy chariots were pulled by donkeys or goats.
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In Africa and parts of Asia, another strategy game, mancala, was played on a wooden board carved with little hollows. Players moved their shell or seed counters between the hollows to capture their opponent’s pieces.
