The Royal Game of Ur
The oldest game board ever discovered was found inside the Royal tombs at the ancient Sumerian city of Ur, Mesopotamia. The ancient city Ur of the Chaldees is mentioned in the Bible and the tombs were built more than 5000 years ago.
Click on the picture to enlarge.
The game pattern on this version of the game is based upon the board from the Royal city of Ur which on display at the British Museum. It is handcrafted from hardwood and comes with special replica game disks and pyramidal lots (ancient dice).
No-one knows how the game was played but many games historians have used various pieces of evidence to conjecture rules. A set of proposed rules is included within the game plus Masters Traditional Games publishes 3 variations of simple race game in the rules section of the website, if more ideas are needed.
The board measures 34 x 13.5cm (13.5 x 5.25 inches). There is a pullout drawer for convenient storage of playing pieces and the game includes 12 playing pieces and 8 pyramid shaped dice.
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The Origin of the Game of Ur
Boards found in Ancient Sumeria, in the royal tombs at Ur (~2500BC), Mesopotamia made during this period seem to be some sort of race game. The ancient Sumerian name of the game is not known although it is often referred to as the Royal Game of Ur.
The rules of the game as it was played around 2500BC are not know at all but the same boards were still in use a century or two before the birth of Christ and archeologists have discovered the rules for the game played at that time on some cuneiform tablet dated at 177/176BC. The early games show a variety of patterns on the board but the consistent factor is that five rosettes always appear. Game historians have argued and conjectured as to how the game might have been played. Some boards that have been found only feature the rosettes and all boards seem to feature rosettes in similar patterns leading most people to suppose that only the rosettes are significant. But, as can be seen from the pictures, others boards have different symbols within the squares.
You can learn more about the History of the Royal Game of Ur from The Online Guide to Traditional Games.