What is the oldest board game in the world?

Egyptian Senet is the most widely accepted candidate for the world’s oldest board game, with boards dating back some 5,000 years. The Royal Game of Ur from Mesopotamia comes close behind, and a Babylonian tablet has preserved some of its rules.

Senet, the game of the Pharaohs

Senet was played on a board of thirty squares arranged in three rows. It appears in tomb paintings and boards have been found in burials, including that of Tutankhamun. Over time, it took on a religious meaning: it represented the journey of the soul to the afterlife. We do not know its exact rules, so modern versions are reconstructions.

The Royal Game of Ur

It was discovered in the royal tombs of Ur, in modern-day Iraq, and is about 4,500 years old. It is a racing game using pyramid-shaped dice. The most wonderful thing is that the British Museum preserves a tablet from the 2nd century BC that explains how it was played, which allowed it to be recovered.

What about Mancala?

The Mancala family, involving seeds being distributed across holes, is ancient and is still played across half the world today. Dating it is difficult because it was often played using holes in the ground, which leave no trace.

And what about cards?

Playing cards are much younger: they appeared in China around the 9th century and arrived in Europe in the 14th century. We cover this in how playing cards arrived in Spain. Compared to Senet, Mus [a popular bluffing card game] is almost a newborn.